Like the Renaissance masters before him (see Jan Van Eyck, Giovanni Bellini, Bronzino, et al.), Taha Clayton enjoys the challenge of replicating the ripples and folds of fabric in his paintings. Soldier of Love is a perfect example, the intricate pleats of the white dress and sheets blowing in the wind presenting separate, maddening, representation problems. “I like to work on things that are difficult,” says Clayton. “But to be honest, the dress kind of knocked me around a little bit.”
Clayton mines the past for inspiration, focusing on certain time periods or specific situations that he wants to bring attention to. Soldier of Love is set in the early 20th century, at the height of the Black Wall Street era in Tulsa, Oklahoma. What is Clayton trying to convey? “It’s part of a larger series, showing how women have been holding it down since day one,” says Clayton. “Here’s a woman on her land, in her homestead, a picture of grace, poise as well as strength and power. Women from that time period don’t get a lot of light.”
Clayton, who lives and works in Brooklyn spent two months last summer in an artist’s residency at the Wassaic Project with his family. Soldier of Love was painted during the residency, and the painting’s bucolic backdrop is based on the grounds of the Wassaic Project.
Soldier of Love is on view through March 19 at the Wassaic Project’s Maxon Mills, part of the group show “What Comes After.” For the exhibition, Clayton draped the painting in fabric and installed faux grass around the bottom of the painting. “I want the piece to be an immersive experience, like the viewer is standing in the piece with her.”
