Black Cart,

2008

<p>Martin Puryear’s <em>Black Cart</em> represents one of the wheeled wagons that serve as symbols of, and were once actors in, freedom-seeking along the Underground Railroad. Puryear uses this wagon to remember slavery as an institution of haunting burden, from which some were able to find liberation. At the same time, the cart may refer to the colonial trade among Europe, Africa, the Caribbean, and the United States, which was the basis of the economy of slavery. Thus, the commanding presence of the cart in the work can also be seen as a reappropriation of a tool of oppression. The eerie, sepia-colored haze of the background encourages the use of a critical lens to confront America’s shameful history.</p><p><strong><em>Amy Amatya, Class of 2021</em></strong><br></p>

Wheeled carts bearing burdens are a subject that Puryear has treated in sculpture, drawings, and prints, finding in this theme a powerful symbol of the historical weight of colonial trade among Europe, Africa, the Caribbean, and the United States—the basis of the economy of slavery. In this print, the silhouette of a wagon creates an imposing presence and refers to the wagons that were used to transport runaway<br>slaves along the Underground Railroad. More evocatively, it suggests issues of departure, permanence, ownership, and the layers of history.