Aretha in Living Color

ARETHA IN LIVING COLOR

By Adrian A. Wright

It takes a lot to get my family to agree on anything. Growing up in North St. Louis during the turbulent 1960s was tough on us. Imagine a family that included a Vietnam War veteran, a Black Power activist, a feminist and a budding artist. My siblings and I couldn't agree on anything. Not even a snowstorm in January. But we could agree on Aretha Franklin. We all loved the Queen of Soul.

That was my first reaction to the death of Aretha Louise Franklin on August 16, 2018 at the age of 76. Singer, pianist, songwriter, civil rights activist and a musical icon. I remember watching her on The Mike Douglas TV Show as a boy in 1967. I would listen to her albums on our old 1960s Sylvania stereo / record player. I marveled at her powerful soul stirring voice. Her ability to weave words into music that would profoundly touch your heart. It seemed like a form of alchemy or divine inspiration.

To honour her, I created a mixed media portrait titled Aretha in Living Color. It focuses on her career in the late 1960s through early 1970s, a time when she had overcome early commercial failure to become the unquestioned Queen of Soul. In those days, she wore a large afro and an ever-growing wardrobe collection. It was also in this period that she became close friends with Dr.Martin Luther King (through her father Rev. C.L. Franklin). She marched and sang for the civil rights movement, willing to risk her own life and career for racial equality.

My title, Aretha in Living Color, was inspired by the NBC TV network's opening logo featuring a peacock with rainbow feathers. A voice would say “The following program is brought to you in living color.” Aretha is shown singing on stage with microphone in hand. The rectangular shape of the canvas harkens back to the old Magnavox TV set in my home. A bright yellow highlight circles her hair like a halo. The green and blue shadows in her cheeks and neck add unity. Light shines on her face as if beaming down from heaven or really good stage lighting.

The expression on her face captures the moment when Aretha asserts her power and passion. This vital quality in her music was rooted in her gospel music training. It’s worth noting that soul music is a combination of gospel, rhythm & blues and jazz. She learned from them and applied them in her music. I loved the way she expressed joy, sadness or love so that it resonated with you personally.

You suspected she was channeling her own pain and joy. This was true whether she was singing of her faith in Amazing Grace (1972), the morning after bliss in Natural Woman (1967) or a lover betrayed in Chain of Fools (1968). It seemed like some kind of alchemy or perhaps divine inspiration.

Adrian A Wright, Aretha in Living Color, (image courtesy of the artist)

Aretha in Living Color conveys energy and joy overcoming pain and sorrow. Block letters float behind her in the background rendered in a rainbow of warm color graduations flowing from top to bottom. Red transitions into yellow, yellow into orange... contrasting with a background of blue, red and purple hues. This was inspired by concert poster art from the 1960s. The block letters spell out the lyrics to Aretha's signature song, Respect 1967. In that song, Aretha boldly declares her self worthy as a woman of color. She is proud, confident and frank in her sexuality. Aretha demands respect from her lover precisely because she knows her own self-worth. This message became a declaration not only for women of color but all women and beyond that a unifying message to all those who have been denied dignity and respect.

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