Washload 1970

Curator: This drawing, "Washload," by Benny Andrews from 1970, uses simple ink lines to depict a figure hunched over a washtub. What springs to mind when you see this piece? Editor: Immediately, I feel the weight. It's minimal, but the posture, the bare feet planted... there's a quiet weariness captured in those few lines. The lack of detail almost amplifies the feeling of endless labor. Curator: Andrews had a knack for that—conveying profound emotional depth with incredible economy. He often explored themes of everyday life and social realism. This particular work really resonates with the imagery of struggle and resilience, doesn't it? Editor: Absolutely. The washbasin—we could see it as a font of endless cleaning and care. Water is a symbol, but so is the labor itself. Are they washing away their identity, or cleansing away stains? What meaning would washing have, for the artist, for us, for the sitter? It carries so much potential narrative in what it elides, wouldn't you say? Curator: That is an amazing reading of the image—the way its symbolism works—resonates. Given that the date is 1970, during an era of the fight for Civil Rights, one might even infer deeper themes of cultural identity and persistence within Black communities... Andrews' use of line, paring it back as much as possible really focuses on form... Editor: The figure becomes archetypal; a universal image of the laboring figure. In one swift contour drawing, Andrews creates a figure that's timeless but rooted to its very moment... and the use of simple lines helps bring the artwork close to us, as if scribbled in a notepad somewhere close by, to be uncovered years later... Curator: You are completely right about the immediacy of its appearance, which almost amplifies the sense of something seen in private and quickly documented. To linger here a bit and unpack its secrets— Editor: We could lose our own in these archetypes; perhaps the task is to find what part of yourself or our collective past can be washed up anew within each piece of work... Thank you for drawing our attention.