Utopias Study #7 1975

Benny Andrews made "Utopias Study #7" as a small collage on paper. It shows a nude woman sitting on a hill, surrounded by flowers. Andrews's style reflects an interest in art as a form of social commentary. This piece seems to suggest a return to nature. But Andrews was working in the United States during the second half of the twentieth century, a period marked by significant social and political upheaval, including the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War, and the rise of feminism. The creation of a "utopia" by depicting nature might be regarded as a commentary on the issues of the time. To properly understand Andrews's position, we must consider the social and cultural environments in which he worked. This entails studying the history of art institutions, the politics of representation, and the social situations that influenced artistic creation.