Still Life 

This is Edward Mitchell Bannister’s painting “Still Life”, created with oil on canvas. Bannister was one of the first African-American artists to gain national recognition. In this work, we see a collection of fruit, a glass, and a jug arranged on a white cloth. As an African-American artist in the 19th century, Bannister navigated a world rife with racial prejudice. Consider how the tradition of still life painting, often associated with affluence and domestic comfort, is complicated by Bannister’s identity and the social realities of his time. “Still Life” invites us to contemplate the narratives we construct around art, and how those narratives shift when we consider the identity and experiences of the artist. Bannister’s work encourages us to reflect on the relationship between art, identity, and the stories we tell about ourselves.