January 20, 2009

Thornton Dial

2009 · Graphite, pastel, and coffee on paper · Modern and Contemporary Art

Featuring a procession of figures and animal-like forms (including a flag-waving turtle), this drawing commemorates the inauguration of President Barack Obama. A striped creature with claws occupies the lower-left corner and stretches into the center of the composition. Its markings identify it as a tiger, an animal Dial adopted in his art as a recurring symbol of various underrepresented groups’ struggles for survival and social justice. The artist’s initials appear near a man’s face with a mustache, suggesting a self-portrait and his imaginary presence at this celebration.

Artist

Thornton Dial

Date

2009

Medium

Graphite, pastel, and coffee on paper

Department

Modern and Contemporary Art

Credit line

Gift of Souls Grown Deep Foundation from the William S. Arnett Collection, 2014