Artist’s statement
By Jas Knight
I wanted the viewer to feel as though he/she was meeting Pennington. It was my goal to have his stance communicate dignity and self-determination because I felt these two traits fueled many of his efforts. The curule chair he is depicted resting his hand on is from the late nineteenth century. This particular style was revived in the nineteenth century and I thought it fitting to use a “throne chair” as an accessory in the image of a man who resisted the oppression imposed on black people in every way he could. Although his strivings against the ignorance of the culture he was born into were not always rewarded during his lifetime, I was glad to be able to participate is this tribute to the man.
-jas
October 11, 2018