Smarthistory – Richard Mayhew, Indigenous Spiritual Space

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Richard Mayhew Indigenous Spiritual Space

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Question 1

In what way does the title of the painting, Indigenous Spiritual Space, carry individualized meaning for Richard Mayhew?

A	He is painting a contemporary view of a location previously inhabited by his Cherokee and Shinnecock forebears.
B	He embraces his Cherokee and Shinnecock heritage and these nations’ history with the American landscape.
C	He is painting a scene described to him by his Shinnecock grandmother as she remembered it in her mind.
D	The bright colors used in the painting are known to have spiritual associations for the Cherokee and Shinnecock communities.

Question 2

How does the painting reflect the practice and intentions of Abstract Expressionism?

A	Whether looking up close or from a distance, Mayhew’s painting reads as entirely abstract and non-representational, a core tenet of Abstract Expressionism.
B	The monumental size and bold strands of dripped color across the canvas are in line with the work of action painters like Jackson Pollock.
C	Mayhew is expressing his interior mind through an exploration of landscape, color, and paint, a central goal for the broad array of artists associated with Abstract Expressionism.
D	Mayhew was personally mentored by Mark Rothko in the mode of color field painting, learning and expanding on its emphasis on broad areas of expressive color.

Question 3

How does the painting reflect the traditions of Euro-American landscape painting?

A	In the compositional framing and recession of space typical of academic painting and the sketchy, plein air style of Impressionism
B	In the inclusion of historical or mythological figures, creating an inspiring narrative that enhances the nobility of the scene
C	In the specificity of the scene, reflecting admiration for God’s creation of the natural world and man’s desire to document and celebrate it
D	By observing and painting out of doors (en plein air), an Impressionist technique characterized by spontaneity and an interest in the effects of natural light

Question 4

How do Mayhew’s paintings of the 1990s and 2000s (like Indigenous Spiritual Space) reflect the ideas and debates of Spiral, the group of Black artists that formed in response to the Civil Rights Era activities of the early 1960s?

A	By recreating compositions that he and other Spiral members made in the 1960s with an updated, brighter color palette, suggesting a renewed investment in the idea of an art that speaks to racial tensions and struggle
B	By focusing on reimagining the potential of landscape painting with an emphasis on freedom of color and expression, metaphorically mirroring the goals of freedom and representation that drove the Civil Rights Movement
C	By drawing links between the sovereignty issues of Indigenous populations still being debated in the 21st century and the racial discrimination faced by Black Americans during the Civil Rights Era
D	By demonstrating a tension between pursuing one’s personal formal and content-related interests and contributing to a ongoing, collective exploration of the role and lineage of Black art

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Key points

Landscape imagery has dominated Richard Mayhew’s long career, serving as a metaphor for his emotions and as a link to his Cherokee, Shinnecock, and African American heritage. His landscapes reflect a series of tensions–in terms of both formal qualities and subject matter–which are exemplified in Indigenous Spiritual Space (Ser. No. 7).
Drawing from the techniques of landscape traditions such as Impressionism, Tonalism, and the French Baroque as well as the processes and intentions of Abstract Expressionism, Mayhew employs color in receding layers of dynamic applications of paint to create evocative, immersive spaces.
In its subject matter, Mayhew’s work addresses his individual emotions and associations between the landscape and his heritage while simultaneously contributing to a body of Black art that intentionally–and innovatively–confronts issues of civil rights and freedom. Mayhew’s involvement in the latter emerges from his participation in Spiral, a group of Black artists who came together in response to the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

Go deeper

Learn more about this painting at the Georgia Museum of Art

Explore an art activity based on this painting, from the Georgia Museum of Art

Learn more about Richard Mayhew in a video interview and essay from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

More to think about

Consider the question posed in the video: what does it mean to produce beautiful paintings in a time of social turmoil? Reflect on Mayhew’s work and compare it with that of Norman Lewis and Sam Gilliam, or the quilts of Gee’s Bend, Alabama. Additionally, see if you can identify other artists of the same or different time periods who represent marginalized groups and whose work addresses this question.

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Richard Mayhew, Indigenous Spiritual Space

Test your knowledge with a quiz

Richard Mayhew Indigenous Spiritual Space

Key points

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More to think about

Smarthistory images for teaching and learning:

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