Strange Fruit: Lynching by the KKK c. 20th century

Editor: This print, "Strange Fruit: Lynching by the KKK" by Harry Sternberg, is incredibly powerful and disturbing. The stark black and white makes it feel like a nightmare. What strikes you most about its imagery? Curator: The symbolic language is layered, isn't it? The "strange fruit" itself—the bodies hanging from the tree—immediately evokes Billie Holiday's song, embedding the image in a history of protest. But look closer: what does the sun signify here? Is it a beacon of hope, or a silent witness? Editor: I hadn't thought of the sun that way. So much cultural weight in a single image. Curator: Exactly. And the figures in KKK robes? They are almost spectral, dehumanized. Sternberg forces us to confront not just the act, but the ideology that perpetuates it. What lasting impact do you think images like this have? Editor: I think they make us remember, even when we want to forget. It's a harsh lesson in how symbols can be weaponized. Curator: And how art can be a powerful form of resistance, bearing witness to injustice across time.