File:June Edmonds Shadd Cary Flag 2020.jpeg

Painting by June Edmonds, Shadd Cary Flag (acrylic on linen, 74" x 50", 2020). The image illustrates a key later body of work by June Edmonds: her abstract "Flag Paintings," which the complexity of Black experience and examine the flag as a visual statement and token of national identity. In her re-interpretations, such as this work, she employs a palette derived from the spectrum of black and brown skin complexions accented with deep purples, greens and blues. Large, dark and vertically oriented to reference Black bodies, the paintings straddle abstraction and representation, with thick columns of acrylic paint suggesting textiles or strands of genetic code while only subtly revealing themselves as flag forms. Their titles often directly allude to a figure or story from African-American history … These paintings were publicly exhibited in prominent venues, discussed in major art journals and daily press publications.

Artist June Edmonds. Copyright held by the artist.

June Edmonds

Entire artwork

Yes. The image will not affect the commercial value of the original work or limit the copyright holder's rights or ability to distribute the original due to its low resolution and the general workings of the art market, which values the actual work of art. Because of the low resolution, illegal copies could not be made.

The image has contextual significance serving an informational and educational purpose as the primary means of illustrating a key later body of work in June Edmonds's career in the late 2010s, when she produced her series of thickly textured, abstract "Flag Paintings" inspired by encounters with the confederate flag in the South and by U.S. electoral politics. These draped and stretched works employ color, shape, repetition and symbolism to express the social, psychological and historical complexity of Black experience and examine the flag as a visual statement and token of national identity relating to oppression, optimism, ownership and transformation for people of color and women. Because the article is about an artist and her art, the omission of the image would significantly limit a reader's understanding and ability to understand this key body of work, which brought Edmonds continuing recognition through exhibitions in major venues, coverage by major critics and publications, and museum acquisitions. Edmonds's work of this type and this series, as well as this specific work, are discussed in the article and by critics cited in the article.

There is no free equivalent of this or any other of this series by June Edmonds, so the image cannot be replaced by a free image.

The image use is minimal in that it conveys important information that a full artwork image at a limited fair-use size cannot due to the uniquely hyper-detailed nature of the work. By providing a close-up of the artist's style and imagery, it is significantly more informative for a viewer. It is also a further protection (along with the low resolution) against affecting commercial value.