Good Evening Good People,

I have to admit that one of my greatest reservations when I began the Art Is Luv journey was my own personal lack of familiarity with art history. Sure, I took the art history general requirement course in undergrad and I've learned a few things here and there at various museums. But not nearly enough to even begin carving a dent in the vast world of art greats past and present. However, I have learned to overcome this plague of ignorance by reminding myself that history is written, spoken, and passed from generation to generation. Which means that it's never too late to open the vault. So let's jump in! Shall we?

I would like to introduce the first artist of this series, the incomparable, Horace Pippin (Feb 22, 1988 - July 6, 1946). Horace Pippin was a self-taught African American painter, whose work depicted imagery of war, religion, and social injustice. He was one of the first African American artist to openly express his concerns on these subject matters throughout his work (The Barnes Foundation). Horace Pippin also served in Word War I, where he was shot and lost the use of his right arm. He continued to paint as a therapeutic exercise and used a poker to hold up his arm while be guiding the left to create masterpieces (Biography.com). He is best known for his "Self Portrait of 1941", where he is shown cradling his right arm (Wikipedia.com). The piece shown above is entitled, "The Artist's Wife" (Horace Pippin -1936). I think it's amazing.