Pharaoh’s Army Got Drowned

fresco, 1941, 41 ¾” x 61”

This fresco is revolutionary because it was the first piece of art bequeathed to a black church as a gift from a white artist. This piece was given to the Copperville Church, in Easton Maryland. It was created by the artist in honor of a fearless soldier who proudly died in war. The soldier, Private Norman E. Wilson was the son of Reverend Wilson at Copperville Church, who is likely the man lifting his arm up to the light. The fallen soldier, Wilson is likely the angel on the right hand side of this piece. As you might have noticed, a red body of water surrounds the people in the fresco. The parting of the Red Sea was a symbol for black freedom and release from oppression. The congregation of people are members of the Copperville Church. The power behind this piece is significant. 

A fresco is a painting that uses colors ground in water or a lime-water mixture and done quickly on wet plaster.  The color seeps into the wet surface and becomes solidified during the drying process.