Contemporary artists often explore the concept of artistic appropriation, where one artwork incorporates the imagery of another source to make references to ideas associated with that source. In the magazine cover on the left, contemporary African-American artist Kara Walker appropriates imagery from a famous painting from the canon of European art, Theodore Gericault’s The Raft of the Medusa. What event is Walker portraying (note the date – it marks the two-year anniversary of the event)? Why do you think she makes references to this particular artwork?

Other contemporary Black artists create art using appropriation. PLEASE DO NOT post on the same murals and recent art we have studied under Black Lives Matter. TRY ADDING a different contemporary Black artist working with appropriation this week. For example, some of you wrote papers on the current African-American artist, Titus Kaphar. What issues does he address in his artworks? Be creative! Add other artists or artworks if you wish.