Created by
Platt, Michael B., American, 1948 - 2019
Date
2002
Medium
ink on paper
Dimensions
H x W: 19 1/4 × 12 1/2 in. (48.9 × 31.8 cm)
Caption
Michael B. Platt was a photographer, digital printmaker, and multi-media artist. He created figurative images that gave voice to marginalized people, often referencing history, rites of passage, and cultural rituals in his work. This print is from a series of drawings, “Bush Men 2,” inspired by the peoples of the Kalahari Desert. Platt stated, “My feelings about them are reflected in a statement by a !Xu Bushmen, Staff Sgt. Mario Mahongo of Schmidtsdrift, quoted in a National Geographic article (February 2001) on the Bushmen: ‘We Bushmen, we were the First People here so how come we are the last ones in line to get anything?’ The blues composer Willie Dixon could have written these words for the late blues man, Muddy Waters.”
Description
A lithograph depicting the figure of a man in black ink on off-white paper. Shown from the hips up, he stands in profile to the viewer, his back straight and his gaze directly in front of him. The sketch lines are visible amidst the softer, wider shadings of the man’s face, hair, and body. Animated splotches and splatters of black ink line the back side of the figure, starting at the top of the head and extending to the small of his back. Handwritten in graphite beneath the image is the edition [3/5] at left, the title [Bush Man] at center, and the artist’s signature and date [Michael B. Platt 02] at right.
Portfolio/Series
Bushmen 2
Classification
Visual Arts
Type
lithographs
portraits
Topic
Africa
Art
Local and regional
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Juanita and Melvin Hardy
Object number
2020.58.8
Restrictions & Rights
© Michael B. Platt
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd51410345f-1cb0-4840-b4f8-79b8f6d22dda

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

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