Drive,

1989

This print by Colescott—known for his provocative yet humorous paintings—is edgy in both composition and content. It belongs to a series of figurative lithographs about interracial relationships, a recurring subject in his work. In creating the print, Colescott glued a sheet of gray paper to a square sheet, dividing it into two vertical rectangles. The heads of a man and a woman face each other, simultaneously intimate and separate. Tightly packed within an ambiguous space, the man’s head merges with the silhouette of a car, and the woman appears to be reclining. Does the shadow of the hand on the woman’s side belong to her? Are they dreaming of each other? Speaking about his figures, which question stereotypes through irony and caricature, Colescott stated in 1999: “We didn’t make up these images ... it’s satire.”

Eve Aschheim, artist
John Yau, poet and critic