Evolution of my style #1

Rodney King, Acrylic on Board, 2012

Anyone following my work knows that my Black & Blue series is what I am most known for, so I felt I would give you some background into how this series came to be.

I'd already come up with my signature style back in college, though it was unrefined, and I'd started addressing police brutality way back then, but it wasn't until about 2010 where my style and subject matter would converge into the kind of work I do now.

This piece was based on the Rodney King beating from 1992. By then, the abuse of Black people by law enforcement was common knowledge, but you had some people in society who wanted to believe the fairy tale that things had gotten better since the 1960's. The Rodney King beating by 4 police officers was unique in that someone actually recorded the assault on video. If you've ever seen the video, you've probably never seen a dog beaten that bad. Apparently, Rodney King was pulled over for some violation and cops called backup because they felt threatened from one unarmed man. Of course, the video doesn't show that. The video starts with the assault already in progress, with the cops taking turns beating Rodney King with batons, punches, and kicks, which resulted in a broken right leg, facial fractures, cuts and swelling, a burn area on his chest from a stun gun, and broken teeth. Rodney suffered. For Black people, the difference this time was that we got it on tape! For some reason, we (including myself) briefly forgot about how the system works and really believed that a racist system designed to oppress us would finally give us justice by convicting the 4 officers who abused their power.

On the contrary, after a lengthy trial, the officers were acquitted of any wrong doing and Black people had reached their breaking point in Los Angeles, where the beating took place, and took to the streets to protest the unjust verdict, which led to the LA Riots.

This painting is a straightforward depiction of that assault. The most glaring detail is that you'll notice no one has eyes, so they mimic a silhouette in some ways. Since college, I've played with figures having eyes or not, but I'd never really decided one way or the other. Eventually, in 2016 I would add the eyes again and they remain to this day, but this work is a great example of an early version of my signature style.