What is a Pig?

“A low natured beast that has no regard for law, justice, or the rights of people; a creature that bites the hand that feeds it; a foul, depraved, traducer, usually found masquerading as the victim of an unprovoked attack”

So goes the copy to one of the many pieces reproduced in this impressive book. While those words may sound harsh, such were the times, and such was the attitude of the police as well. The casualties prove it. Black Panther, The Revolutionary Art of Emory Douglas is a must have publication for anyone interested Black artists and the intersection between black art and culture. It brings to light as well the ability of graphic design to serve a higher purpose than commerce, to actually affect people’s lives and move beyond the bounds of commercialism.

The physical book is a work of art in and of itself. Hardbound with bright, heavyweight matte paper, Douglas’ artwork is shown in all it’s glory. It is well designed with much of the art displayed across spreads pin-up style. In fact the jacket itself has a poster on the reverse side, suitable for framing. It’s not just artwork though. There are numerous essays by notables such as Danny Glover, Amiri Baraka, and Bobby Seale. The essays, many of them from people who were there at the time go a long way in giving context to the artwork and the Panther Party itself. The only downside I noticed was that the boards are covered with paper rather than cloth. After shlepping it around in my shoulder bag for a couple of weeks the corners started to wear a bit.

Emory Douglas served as Minister of Culture for the Panthers from 1967 until the Panthers disbanded in the 1980s. During this time he worked as art director and graphic designer for the Black Panther newsletter. If you’re familiar with the Panthers or the sixties in general you won’t be suprised by the content or focus of his artwork. It’s anti-imperialist, anti-capitalist, anti-racist and completely Pan-Africanist. It’s conceptually hard; not for political wimps or post-racial pollyannas. Douglas work is also hard edged visually, not slick, and characterized by thick outlines and textured backgrounds. I was also taken by his technique of “visual sampling” where he uses elements of his previous work and/or photography to create new pieces. I believe this was done in the same spirit as hip hop sampling. Creative expression by any means necessary. Techniques used by poor and marginalized people.

This work fits snugly within the pantheon of political and revolutionary art as is mentioned in the book. Compare his work  to the work of his contemporaries of the time. Not necessarily the same in style but certainly the same in spirit.

This is important work and had Douglas been holocaust survivor, anti-communist, or even a PETA protestor, his work would probably be enshrined in the worlds great museums. As it is America is still trying to write the Panthers off as terrorist killers even though not one conviction of a Black Panther has ever stood up in court. The crimes and murderous thuggery of J. Edgar Hoover and cointelpro are well known, but the history of the Panthers is smeared with lies and misinformation, exactly as Hoover planned. We can only hope that this book will help to document the realities of the party and lead the reader to further investigate this extremely important movement in the Afrikan Amerikkkan human rights struggle.

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Rizzoli (February 6, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0847829413
• ISBN-13: 978-0847829415
• Dimensions: 12.1 x 8.6 x 1.3 inches

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