Archibald J. Motley Jr., ‘Blues,’ 1929, oil on canvas, 36 × 42 inches, Collection of Mara Motley M.D., and Valerie Gerrard Browne, Image courtesy of the Chicago History Museum, Chicago, Illinois. © Valerie Gerrard Browne.

Make the Time: Archibald J. Motley, Jr. at The Whitney

6 Oct ’15

A retrospective exhibition of the work of Archibald J. Motley, Jr. now is on view at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Motley was one of the first black artists to attend the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he was trained in an academic tradition; however, he soon turned to his vibrant modernist style to paint scenes of African-American life. For example, his painting Blues shows a crowded nightclub in which the people, musical instruments, and libations all appear to occupy the same plane. The crowded composition of colorful forms conveys the rhythm of the music and the energy in the club.