Joseph Holston: Color in Freedom: A Journey along the Underground Railroad Book

The history of the struggle for freedom from slavery cannot be told too many times. It is a vital component of America's history; it is key in understanding American culture. In Joseph Holston's magnificent suite of images, the story is told deeply and compellingly. His dramatic motion- and color-filled paintings contrast the brutal ugliness of slavery with the overwhelming courage of those who survived it, escaped it, and worked to end it. Holston portrays the human capacity for cruelty with stunning poignancy and the human capacity for hope with heartfelt-but measured-joy.

The artist traveled the route of the Underground Railroad-the name for the system that developed to help fugitive slaves escape to the North-in preparation for creating this series. He organized the pictorial narrative like a symphony in four movements, naming each section as such: The First Movement: The Unknown World; The Second Movement: Living in Bondage: Life on the Plantation; The Third Movement: Journey of Escape; and The Fourth Movement: Color in Freedom. As the story develops, the color palette changes accordingly. Dark blues and grays dominate in the early movements, while bright bursts of color weave through the final one. Through it all, the viewer has a visceral sense of "journey," of following a path, and gains a profound understanding of all that the struggle encompassed.

Cheryl Janifer LaRoche's essay provides an insightful historical backdrop, and Barbara Stephanic's text places Joseph Holston's art in the context of other painters' work as she energetically delves into the details of his images to enhance our appreciation of them.

Color in Freedom is more than a book. It's athoroughly engaging artistic and historical journey. It will accompany the traveling exhibition of the same name opening at the University of Maryland University College in October 2008.
Joseph Holston's works are included in numerous museums, institutions, and private collections, including the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Butler Institute of American Art, the Yale University Art Gallery, and the Museum of Art at the Rhode Island School of Design.

Barbara Stephanic, PhD, is a professor of art history at the College of Southern Maryland in La Plata.

Cheryl Janifer LaRoche, PhD, is a research associate with the Department of American Studies at the University of Maryland.