{"id":2064396,"date":"2026-07-27T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-26T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2064396"},"modified":"2026-07-27T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T21:00:00","slug":"colorstruck-examines-the-connection-between-race-and-chromatic-expression","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2064396","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Colorstruck!\u2019 Examines the Connection Between Race and Chromatic Expression"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content prose-colossal max-w-none\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull is-style-default entry-header is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6c531013 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"colo-post-featured-image wp-block-post-featured-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2871\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/colorstruck-2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"a painted portrait of a Black woman\" style=\"object-fit:cover\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">William H. Johnson, \u201cMinnie\u201d (1930), oil on canvas, 17 x 12 1\/8 inches. Image courtesy of Smithsonian American Art Museum and Art Resource. All images courtesy of Princeton University Press, shared with permission<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group post-title is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0bc941e6 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h1 class=\"alignfull wp-block-post-title\">\u2018Colorstruck!\u2019 Examines the Connection Between Race and Chromatic Expression<\/h1>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-meta is-layout-flex wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-07-27T15:26:58-05:00\">July 27, 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<div class=\"taxonomy-category wp-block-post-terms\"><a class=\"category-art\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/art\/\" rel=\"tag\">Art<\/a><a class=\"category-books\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/books\/\" rel=\"tag\">Books<\/a><a class=\"category-history\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/history\/\" rel=\"tag\">History<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author-name\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/author\/gebert\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"wp-block-post-author-name__link\">Grace Ebert<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-share-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6c531013 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing has-visible-labels has-icon-color is-style-logos-only is-layout-flex wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-is-layout-flex\">\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d\" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-facebook has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2F2026%2F07%2Frichard-j-powell-black-american-art-colorstruck%2F&amp;title=%26%238216%3BColorstruck%21%27%20Examines%20the%20Connection%20Between%20Race%20and%20Chromatic%20Expression\" aria-label=\"Share\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-label \"><br \/>\n\t\t\tShare\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d\" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-mail has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#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\" aria-label=\"Email\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-label \"><br \/>\n\t\t\tEmail\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><button class=\"simplefavorite-button preset\" data-postid=\"476206\" data-siteid=\"1\" data-groupid=\"1\" data-favoritecount=\"0\"><i class=\"sf-icon-bookmark\"><\/i>Bookmark<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>A nude Black woman lies on a stark white chaise, her head propped up by her thin arm. She\u2019s surrounded by flat, abstracted color in the form of fruits and fabrics, and a glass coupe and bottle on a nearby table offer a clear, rather than refracted, view of the vibrant scene. Rendered in oil on burlap, the painting by William H. Johnson is commanding in its palette and subject matter and an exemplary work in a new book by art historian <a href=\"https:\/\/richardjpowell.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Richard J. Powell<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Forthcoming this fall from Princeton University Press, <a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/96\/9780691285160\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Colorstruck! Painting, Pigment, Affect<\/em><\/a> delves into the ways that color and social, political, and cultural forces intersect in Black American art. Powell takes an expansive approach to each of the three topics\u2014painting, pigment, and affect\u2014and examines works by a wide group of artists, including Jacob Lawrence, Alma Thomas, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/tags\/lorna-simpson\/\">Lorna Simpson<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/tags\/jean-michel-basquiat\/\">Jean-Michel Basquiat<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/tags\/nina-chanel-abney\/\">Nina Chanel Abney<\/a>. His interest is in the dynamic interplay of paint and pigment and what the two reveal about both the artists and the viewers.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/colorstruck-3.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-476206\" title=\"William H. Johnson, \u201cNude\u201d (c. 1939), oil on burlap, 29 \u00be x 38 \u00bc inches. Image courtesy of Smithsonian American Art Museum and Art Resource\" data-rl_title=\"William H. Johnson, \u201cNude\u201d (c. 1939), oil on burlap, 29 \u00be x 38 \u00bc inches. Image courtesy of Smithsonian American Art Museum and Art Resource\" data-rl_caption=\"William H. Johnson, \u201cNude\u201d (c. 1939), oil on burlap, 29 \u00be x 38 \u00bc inches. Image courtesy of Smithsonian American Art Museum and Art Resource\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1514\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/colorstruck-3.jpg\" alt=\"a stylized painted portrait of a nude Black woman\" class=\"wp-image-476210\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">William H. Johnson, \u201cNude\u201d (c. 1939), oil on burlap, 29 \u00be x 38 \u00bc inches. Image courtesy of Smithsonian American Art Museum and Art Resource<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Sharing a root with words like awestruck or starstruck, <em>colorstruck<\/em> is a slang term that evolved from \u201ca Black person who preferred associating with light-skinned Blacks or White people to anyone inordinately preoccupied with race,\u201d Powell writes. The idea is largely associated with colorism, although in his view, it can also be applied to the ways we marvel at and can even be overwhelmingly affected by an artist\u2019s palette. He adds: <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>What if a painter, like early Black modernist Willian H. Johnson, set aside the more pejorative insinuations in the idea of being <em>colorstruck<\/em>, and instead used the paint medium, an intense color palette, racial Blackness, and most important, his abstracting inclinations to produce an expressionistic, evocative, and disruptive work of art? <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The book continues in this line of thinking as it connects what is often thought of as a universal concept\u2014that color exists, and humans respond to certain hues in particular ways\u2014and the distinct context of race in America. Richly illustrated with archival photographs and numerous artworks, the volume captures the relationship between the unique experience of an artist and her viewer and the broader powers that inform those dynamics.<\/p>\n<p><em>Colorstruck! Painting, Pigment, Affect<\/em> will be published in September, and you can pre-order your copy through <a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/96\/9780691285160\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bookshop<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/colorstruck-1.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-476206\" title=\"Herv\u00e9 T\u00e9l\u00e9maque, \u201cN\u00e9grerie (Black cultural effects)\u201d (1974), lithograph, 30 x 22 inches. Image \u00a9 The Metropolitan Museum of Art, courtesy of Art Resource\" data-rl_title=\"Herv\u00e9 T\u00e9l\u00e9maque, \u201cN\u00e9grerie (Black cultural effects)\u201d (1974), lithograph, 30 x 22 inches. Image \u00a9 The Metropolitan Museum of Art, courtesy of Art Resource\" data-rl_caption=\"Herv\u00e9 T\u00e9l\u00e9maque, \u201cN\u00e9grerie (Black cultural effects)\u201d (1974), lithograph, 30 x 22 inches. Image \u00a9 The Metropolitan Museum of Art, courtesy of Art Resource\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2733\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/colorstruck-1.jpg\" alt=\"an abstract print\" class=\"wp-image-476208\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Herv\u00e9 T\u00e9l\u00e9maque, \u201cN\u00e9grerie (Black cultural effects)\u201d (1974), lithograph, 30 x 22 inches. Image \u00a9 The Metropolitan Museum of Art, courtesy of Art Resource<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/colorstruck-4.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-476206\" title=\"Alma Thomas, \u201cThe Eclipse\u201d (1970), acrylic on canvas, 62 x 49 \u00be inches. Image courtesy of Smithsonian American Art Museum and Art Resource\" data-rl_title=\"Alma Thomas, \u201cThe Eclipse\u201d (1970), acrylic on canvas, 62 x 49 \u00be inches. Image courtesy of Smithsonian American Art Museum and Art Resource\" data-rl_caption=\"Alma Thomas, \u201cThe Eclipse\u201d (1970), acrylic on canvas, 62 x 49 \u00be inches. Image courtesy of Smithsonian American Art Museum and Art Resource\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2458\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/colorstruck-4.jpg\" alt=\"an abstract painting of color fields\" class=\"wp-image-476211\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Alma Thomas, \u201cThe Eclipse\u201d (1970), acrylic on canvas, 62 x 49 \u00be inches. Image courtesy of Smithsonian American Art Museum and Art Resource<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/colorstruck-5.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-476206\" title=\"Malcolm Bailey, \u201cUntitled\u201d (1972), cut and pasted paper and acrylic on Plexiglas, 36 x 36 inches. Image copyright \u00a9 The Metropolitan Museum of Art, courtesy of Art Resource\" data-rl_title=\"Malcolm Bailey, \u201cUntitled\u201d (1972), cut and pasted paper and acrylic on Plexiglas, 36 x 36 inches. Image copyright \u00a9 The Metropolitan Museum of Art, courtesy of Art Resource\" data-rl_caption=\"Malcolm Bailey, \u201cUntitled\u201d (1972), cut and pasted paper and acrylic on Plexiglas, 36 x 36 inches. Image copyright \u00a9 The Metropolitan Museum of Art, courtesy of Art Resource\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2002\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/colorstruck-5.jpg\" alt=\"a small figure in white against a vast orange backdrop\" class=\"wp-image-476212\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Malcolm Bailey, \u201cUntitled\u201d (1972), cut and pasted paper and acrylic on Plexiglas, 36 x 36 inches. Image copyright \u00a9 The Metropolitan Museum of Art, courtesy of Art Resource<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/colorstruck-6.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-476206\" title=\"Charles Alston, \u201cGirl in a Red Dress\u201d (1934), oil on canvas, 28 x 22 inches. Image \u00a9 The Metropolitan Museum of Art, courtesy of Art Resource\" data-rl_title=\"Charles Alston, \u201cGirl in a Red Dress\u201d (1934), oil on canvas, 28 x 22 inches. Image \u00a9 The Metropolitan Museum of Art, courtesy of Art Resource\" data-rl_caption=\"Charles Alston, \u201cGirl in a Red Dress\u201d (1934), oil on canvas, 28 x 22 inches. Image \u00a9 The Metropolitan Museum of Art, courtesy of Art Resource\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2548\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/colorstruck-6.jpg\" alt=\"a painted portrait of a Black woman\" class=\"wp-image-476213\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Charles Alston, \u201cGirl in a Red Dress\u201d (1934), oil on canvas, 28 x 22 inches. Image \u00a9 The Metropolitan Museum of Art, courtesy of Art Resource<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"after-entry\" role=\"complementary\" aria-label=\"After Entry\">\n<section id=\"block-16\" class=\"widget widget_block widget_text\">\n<p><mark style=\"background-color:#88caf0\" class=\"has-inline-color\"><strong>Do stories and artists like this matter to you?<\/strong><\/mark> Become a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/members\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"118516\">Colossal Member<\/a> now, and support independent arts publishing.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"block-17\" class=\"widget widget_block\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-top is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-top member-benefits is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:50%\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Hide advertising<\/li>\n<li>Save your favorite articles<\/li>\n<li>Get 15% off in the <a href=\"https:\/\/colossal.shop\/\">Colossal Shop<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Receive members-only newsletter<\/li>\n<li>Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-top member-options is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:50%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-fe9cc265 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Join us today!<\/h3>\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-horizontal is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-crow-color has-verdigris-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/colossal.memberful.com\/checkout?plan=113464\">$7\/month<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-crow-color has-verdigris-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/colossal.memberful.com\/checkout?plan=113463\">$75\/year<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-crow-color has-chalk-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/members\/\">Explore membership options<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"20\" height=\"21\" class=\"wp-image-327872\" style=\"width: 20px\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/arrow-left.svg\" alt><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/aside>\n<nav class=\"navigation post-navigation\" role=\"navigation\">\n<div class=\"nav-links\">\n<div class=\"nav-previous\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/2026\/07\/fumiaki-aono-wood-furniture-sculptures\/\" rel=\"prev\">Next article<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>William H. Johnson, \u201cMinnie\u201d (1930), oil on canvas, 17 x 12 1\/8 inches. Image courtesy of Smithsonian American Art Museum and Art Resource. All images courtesy of Princeton University Press, shared with permission \u2018Colorstruck!\u2019 Examines the Connection Between Race and Chromatic Expression July 27, 2026 ArtBooksHistory Grace Ebert Share Email Bookmark A nude Black woman [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,270],"class_list":["post-2064396","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-thisiscolossal-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2064396","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2064396"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2064396\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2064396"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2064396"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2064396"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}