Still-Life: Past Revisited

“[I] worked with what's around me,” Cortor said, “though sometimes I reach back for something out of my memory.” In this monumental still life, an abundance of worn objects transmits layers of memories, not only of the artist’s personal history, but also the shared experiences of black America throughout the early 20th century. The items depicted refer both to triumphs and to failures, from the successful business empire of Madame C.J. Walker to the racial injustice of the 1932 Scottsboro trial.