¶ … walked through the Denver Art Museum, several pieces caught my eye. Not many other patrons were in the museum, as it was late on a weekday. I had many rooms of the gallery all to myself. The array of work was almost overwhelming, as the museum contains collections from different cultures and eras. One piece in particular stuck in my head, a painting by American artist Kerry James Marshall. I had never heard of Marshall before now. The painting, "Better Homes, Better Gardens" sits stoically on a wall in the contemporary art wing of the DAM.
What initially captivated me was the subject matter. Rather than having to search for what Marshall was trying to say, it was immediately apparent that "Better Homes, Better Gardens" comments on racial inequity and justice in America. At the same time, there is something inherently uplifting about Marshall's piece. The painting is mixed with collage on canvas. The work dates to 1994, and is 100 by 142 inches.
"Better Homes, Better Gardens" is written on a ribbon that straddles the feet of an African-American heterosexual couple. They walk hand in hand, arms around each other through what looks like a housing project. The "Better Homes, Better Gardens" banner evokes the popular American magazine Better Homes and Gardens, which established an ideal suburban domesticity that many American Americans were excluded from. I don't need to know what Wentworth Gardens is to know that its residents, like the couple in the painting, did not have access to the white picket fence ideal set by Better Homes and Gardens. The artist makes sure that race is integral to the painting, by depicting the African-American couple as unequivocally black. All around them, bright colors swirl. The sky and water are rich blue, the building is orange, and there are trees and grass. The bright colors suggest hope. Similarly, a fountain spouts up and imparts an uplifting mood. The upward motion of the water complements the smoke rising from a fire pit on the left side of the canvas. The image is balanced and symmetrical. However, the dichotomy between the stark brick and the bright blue skies reminds the viewer that the African-American community still awaits better homes and better gardens.
