Verbal Description: Kerry James Marshall, Souvenir IV, 1998

Narrator: The title of this work is Souvenir IV, with IV written in roman numerals. It was painted in 1998, and is an acrylic grayscale painting that includes screen printed and glitter elements. It is very large, measuring almost nine feet tall and nearly 12 feet wide. It is displayed on a red supportive structure towards the center of the gallery.  

In the center of the image, a singular Black figure with long silver wings sits in a middle class living room on a sofa against the back wall. This person is painted with similar features to the range of sitters depicted in other works by Marshall: very dark skin, full lips and noses, with serious eyes that stare back at the viewer. A large scroll unfurls from the top of the work filling the space where another figure might sit on the opposite side of the sofa. The following names of African-American Blues musicians are listed: Magic Sam, Otis Redding, Booker Little, Ida Cox, Wynonie, Harris, Rosalie Hill, Smokie Hogg, Mercy Dee, Sam Cooke.

A dream-like overlay of rolling clouds forms a border on the top edge of the work. Screen-printed portraits of African-American blues musicians are dispersed throughout the cloud mass suggesting that they are looking down from heaven. From each of their mouths, white beams taper open to hold more names: Jesse Belvin, Elizabeth Lizzie Miles, J.B. Lenoir, Coleman Hawkins, Mr Blues, Roy Hamilton, J.D. Short, Vera Hall. Along the top, cursive lettering reads ‘In Memory of.’ Silver stylized dots, water rain drops, and stenciled roses decorate the area around the clouds. A long line of fringe is printed at the bottom along with decorative borders on the side in the same silver. 

Within the living room from left to right, there is a double paned window with sunlight casting a glow throughout the room. A credenza sits under the windowsill followed by a sculpture of a simple human figure that would be several feet in scale. In the center of the room before the sculpture there is a plush chair facing a glass coffee table with a vase of arranged flowers. The flowers both stand apart from and echo the floral upholstery of the sofa which is directly behind. Art work and portraits decorate the walls between sconces and molding. Before the coffee table at the bottom of the image are the words “We Mourn Our Loss” in highly decorative serif font.

The central Black angel figure sits on the right edge of the couch corner with hands clasped in her lap over the pleats of a gray dress. Her head is tilted slightly to the side with an enigmatic gaze which could range from contemplative to sorrowful.