An old painting hidden away from the world for a really long time, saw the light of the day when a member of the family that had commissioned the painting a long time ago, chose to give it to a museum. Little would she have known that this piece of art would be receive news coverage for an intriguing reason…
Meghana Miryala, a teen member of the Young Writers’ Club shares her thoughts and reactions after reading this coverage.
The story behind the painting
Art has the power to tell stories that go beyond words. Sometimes these stories are clear as day and sometimes, these stories are lost in plain sight waiting to be discovered. That is the case of Bélizaire, a black teenager, who was erased from a 19th portrait. If not for the sharp eye and curiosity of Jeremy K. Simien, then this boy’s story would have remained hidden in plain sight. His erasure from the painting speaks volumes about the injustice and racism against the Black community in the past that still prevails today. This serves as a reminder that there are many stories that are lost in history waiting to be uncovered.
The missing figure
In a world where things are dismissed quickly without notice, Jeremy’s attention to detail is what brought Bélizaire’s story to light. His passion to find out about the silhouette, question what is hidden and tell the stories of silenced is commendable. Naturally, questions like why is he painted with three white children of the family or why was he painted out of the painting arise in our minds. The complex dynamics of slaves and the situation around that time provides the answer. He was painted into the portrait because he was their favorite slave and he was painted out because he was sold. They almost succeeded in removing his existence with a touch of paint. This fact is a bit horrifying but also makes me wonder how many stories are there that are hidden in plain sight in front of us.
The fact that people destroy paintings that have so much to tell while they appreciate a banana taped to the wall and call it art is saddening. Every piece of art has a potential to tell a story. It is up to the viewers whether or not they want to listen to these stories and appreciate them. Bélizaire’s story shows the power of art to convey a story and also makes me think critically about the entire situation. It is a story that deserves to be heard and acts as a reminder that the smallest and most insignificant things can have a huge impact on us. This exhibit portrays a significant dynamic in history, hopefully will make way to many more stories being discovered and shown to the world.
Bélizaire’s story shows the power of art to convey a story and also makes me think critically about the entire situation. It is a story that deserves to be heard and acts as a reminder that the smallest and most insignificant things can have a huge impact on us.
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