Waiting and Watching

Image: Waiting and Watching

Steve Walker
Waiting and Watching

c. 2000
oil on masonite
7.5 x 5.5 in.
2018.2.6
Gift of Dan '69 and Nancy Schneider

In Waiting and Watching, Steve Walker references a twentieth-century, African-American  painting motif that renders Black Figures in all black coloring and with little to no individual facial features. Walker’s painting deviates from this tradition by positioning at the center of this work a young African-American child wearing contemporary clothing (in ways often seen at Black Churches) made of cool colors. He is seated in a cool-hue of yellow chair, with his feet (adorned by a pair of two toned loafers) placed on the kickstand of an empty chair, while he is seemingly amassed in a violet-scape with an abstractly painted bush of red flowers protruding from the background. The figure appears to be looking over his shoulder and out of the painting towards the viewers, suggesting he is waiting for the seat next to him to be filled. Through observing the figure, viewers are afforded a small, intimate glimpse into the public life and personal perspective of a young African-American child, a subject often subverted from many traditions in oil painting. This partnered with the visual effects created by Walker’s manipulation of expressive textures and a dynamically contrasting color palette draws persons to consider their perception and position in relation to the figure.

LaMar Reginald Gayles Jr. ‘19
Lasting Legacy 2019