Richard Watson Art Analysis

This piece of art by Richard Watson is based on the story of Pharaoh and the Israelites from the Bible verse, Exodus 14:8. The main focus of the artwork is the hardship of people of color during White supremacy, and it is compared to the suffering Israelites faced under Pharaoh. This piece is an oil painting on a wood panel, and it is a single media brushwork with a combination of images that emphasize black life. The meaning of the painting, as perceived, is the hindrance black people faced in entering the land of prosperity; the obstacle they faced was nothing other than White dominance. There is a White giant like figure in the middle of the painting with a sharp teethed wolf or monster underneath, creating a sense of evilness and scariness. They block the blacks from entering their dreams, in other words, a successful life. As a result, black people are sad and
The whole left side has the image of three black people. The dream life of the black is depicted on the right side of the painting, and they bring a positive and happy feeling and mood. The right side is divided into three layers, starting with the idea of justice with the image of three hands holding three different objects such as a hammer, weighing scale, and a book, and they represent justice for black people as it is in a court. The next layer is a grassy and ripened field with some butterflies flying on it, and last one is a sun rising from the mountains. These layers depict the three stages of success in black life. First, they need to attain justice in order to get into a good position in life or to reach the field of opportunities where they can show their strengths and become successful, which later bring them to the light, the sun, and take out the darkness out of their life. The center of the painting, as mentioned, is a White figure, which represents White