On View
Visual Arts Gallery
Exhibition
Reckoning: Protest. Defiance. Resilience.
Created by
Hollingsworth, Alvin Carl, American, 1928 - 2000
Subject of
Unidentified Child or Children
Date
1965
Medium
oil paint with acrylic and mixed media on Masonite (TM)
Dimensions
H x W (Frame): 25 9/16 × 49 5/16 × 2 13/16 in. (65 × 125.2 × 7.1 cm)
H x W (Unframed): 24 × 47 13/16 in. (61 × 121.5 cm)
Caption
Alvin Hollingworth’s Trapped addresses the detrimental effect of redlining on urban African American communities. The U.S. government developed the process of redlining in the 1930s, when the New Deal’s Home Owners’ Loan Corporation created color-coded maps of American cities. Colors were used to assess lending and insurance risks based on the racial makeup of a geographic area. Affluent white neighborhoods were marked with green, while poor African American neighborhoods were outlined in red.
The red wooden slats attached to the painting’s surface form a metaphorical fence, referencing the lack of opportunity this system created. When businesses refused to invest in urban areas, it led to unemployment, devaluation of property, and the inability of residents to relocate. Trapped is part of Hollingsworth’s 1960s Cry City series.
Description
This oil painting and collage shows a lone, shadowy figure against an urban background. Swathed in a shapeless garment, the figure stands alone before a dark background in which the silhouettes of high rise buildings can be seen. There is a yellow globe in the sky to the figure's left. The figure stands behind a high fence. Positioned in front of the fence are vertical bars of wood, painted red. They part slightly to allow the viewer to see the figure. The dark urban landscape can be seen through the bars. On the bars are fragments of white letters.
Portfolio/Series
Cry City
Classification
Visual Arts
Movement
Civil Rights Movement
Type
collages
paintings
portraits
Topic
Art
Civil rights
Housing
Race discrimination
Violence
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift in honor of Dr. and Mrs. Henry A. Collins
Object number
2011.157
Restrictions & Rights
© Alvin Carl Hollingsworth 1965
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd559b5f473-d206-4300-b475-ad341c667da4

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

Share this page