Oppression
Date1984
Artist
Luis Cruz Azaceta
(Cuban American painter, born 1942)
MediumAcrylic on canvas
Dimensions59 1/2 × 65 1/2 in. (151.1 × 166.4 cm)
frame: 60 1/2 × 66 1/2 in. (153.7 × 168.9 cm)
frame: 60 1/2 × 66 1/2 in. (153.7 × 168.9 cm)
Credit LineF. V. du Pont Acquisition Fund, 1986
Object number1986-32
On View
On viewCollections
ClassificationsPAINTING
Label TextAn early participant in Neo-Expressionism, Luis Cruz Azaceta is influenced both by large scale Abstract Expressionism and the Latin American tradition of murals and protest art. Oppression illustrates the definition of the word by portraying a nude figure trapped from above by a boot and below by the harsh white lines of a railroad track. Protest artists often use severe images to identify social injustices in hopes of encouraging change.