Made for the 1940 “American Negro Exposition,” this image honors Etta Moten Barnett, a pioneering performer who “broke barriers” in American big-budget movies such as “Flying Down to Rio” and “Gold Diggers” as well as on the concert and theater stage. She became widely celebrated for her work in George Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess,” and later for civic leadership and philanthropy. At the time, mainstream films refused to present Black women with glamour or complexity, but American artist Jay Jackson turns a spotlight into a declaration that Moten is a centered, stylish, and unmissable star. Cameras in the corners asks us to consider how Black brilliance was documented, consumed, and often edited into someone else’s story. It’s a stage scene in watercolor and ink showing the glamorous Black woman dancer with warm brown skin mid-dance under a bright oval spotlight. She leans forward with one arm extended, her torso twisting and her knees flexed in a poised, athletic stance. Her hair is styled in a short, dark bob with a deep teal headpiece. Her lips are painted a vivid red. A pale green, high-waisted skirt swirls around her hips, paired with a matching bra-top and green heels. Behind her, a dark, smoky background is washed in bluish grays and mossy greens, making the spotlight feel theatrical. At the lower left, a sketched cameraman appears as a loose charcoal outline aimed toward her, while at the upper right is a second camera that frames her as both performer and filmed icon. Jackson’s lines alternate between crisp contour and airy washes, letting movement read as vibration rather than blur. Jackson, whose drawings circulated in the Chicago Defender and who later created his own feature syndicate for the “Home Folks” cartoon, uses the visual language of modern media to insist on dignity. In the sweep of green fabric and the dancer’s forward reach, the work presents choreography of agency for a body in motion claiming space, light, and narrative on her own terms.
“Etta Moten Barnett Dancing” by Jay Jackson (American) - Watercolor, ink, and charcoal on paper / c. 1940 - Delaware Art Museum (Wilmington) #WomenInArt #JayPaulJackson #DelawareArtMuseum #EttaMoten #EttaMotenBarnett #DanceArt #BlackHistory #art #artText #BlueskyArt #AmericanArtist #AmericanArt
