Untitled (Religous Scene) 1937

Archie Musick created this untitled drawing, also known as Religious Scene, on paper in 1927. It depicts a scene of religious ceremony, but one that is fraught with political complexity. Musick made this drawing in the United States, a context defined by its religious pluralism, but also by specific histories of conflict and conquest. We see indigenous people being proselytized by a religious man, while armed figures on horseback loom in the background. The drawing evokes a long history of cultural and religious imperialism, one which is specific to the Americas, but resonates with other such histories elsewhere. The artist has created tension through the juxtaposition of religious ritual and military threat. To understand the image better, it is useful to research the history of religion in the United States, as well as the colonial and institutional histories of missionary work. Only then can we understand the social conditions that shape its production.