Behind the Myth of Benevolence
E485633
Behind the Myth of Benevolence is a contemporary artwork by Titus Kaphar that critiques traditional historical narratives by literally peeling back the image of Thomas Jefferson to reveal an obscured Black female figure behind him.
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
contemporary artwork
ⓘ
painting ⓘ |
| artisticGoal |
to center Black experiences in U.S. history
ⓘ
to expose what is hidden in dominant narratives ⓘ |
| artisticTechnique |
figurative painting
ⓘ
layered canvas ⓘ trompe-l’oeil ⓘ |
| associatedWith |
critical race discourse in art
ⓘ
museum-based conversations on representation ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| creator | Titus Kaphar NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| critiques |
mythologizing of Thomas Jefferson
ⓘ
whitewashed historical narratives ⓘ |
| depictionStyle |
conceptual intervention into portraiture
ⓘ
realism ⓘ |
| depicts |
Black female figure
ⓘ
Thomas Jefferson NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| genre |
history painting
ⓘ
political art ⓘ |
| hasCulturalContext |
United States founding era
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
contemporary debates about monuments and memory ⓘ |
| hasTitle | Behind the Myth of Benevolence NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| influencedBy |
American history painting tradition
ⓘ
visual strategies of revisionist history ⓘ |
| intendedAudience |
museum visitors
ⓘ
viewers of contemporary art ⓘ |
| languageOfTitle | English ⓘ |
| mainSubject |
American history
ⓘ
critique of traditional historical narratives ⓘ erasure of Black women from history ⓘ slavery in the United States ⓘ |
| medium | oil on canvas ⓘ |
| movement | contemporary art ⓘ |
| narrativeFunction |
challenges heroic portrayals of founding fathers
ⓘ
reveals hidden histories ⓘ |
| partOf | Titus Kaphar’s body of work on reimagining historical portraiture ⓘ |
| portrays |
Black woman emerging from behind Jefferson’s image
ⓘ
Thomas Jefferson as partially peeled-back portrait ⓘ |
| portraysAs |
Black woman as symbol of obscured truth
ⓘ
Thomas Jefferson as a symbol of benevolent myth ⓘ |
| theme |
historical memory
ⓘ
power and representation ⓘ race in America ⓘ visibility of marginalized people ⓘ |
| visualMetaphor | peeling back the canvas to reveal suppressed histories ⓘ |
| workPeriod | 21st century ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.