Felrath Hines’ Aquatic Adventures contrasts dark and light colors, symbolizing the distance between races in the United States. He completed the painting soon before his death. The style strayed from his usual geometric patterns, so painting the piece was an “adventure.” Hines worked his entire career to resist being labeled as merely an African-American artist. He did not want his race to place him into a “special category with a particular group.” Instead, he wanted his art to hold universal appeal and not relate exclusively to African-American topics and audiences. With this last painting, Hines communicated that race issues had decreased, but more still needed to be done.
With the majority of Hine’s paintings, he used geometric shapes and presented them in a symmetric pattern. He chose this style to allow his viewers to escape the messiness of society. Hines used Aquatic Adventures to introduce a new style featuring curvy shapes and wavy borders. Hines abandoned his usual style to give his viewers a new perspective. His geometric style portrayed simplicity and stability. The new bends represent disorder and complexity. Hines could not portray race issues as neat and orderly. His new style called for a change.
Hines’ call for change can also be seen in the wavy lines and curvy shapes of the piece. The title Aquatic Adventures suggests wave-like motions and rolling tides, with new ideas constantly coming and going. Hines completed the painting in 1993. Although long after the Civil Rights and Segregation periods, race issues were still present and affecting society. The arcs symbolize transition. Races were still working towards living equal lives and having equal opportunities. Older generations were stubborn to change their beliefs and lifestyles. The arcs also represent progress and action. In 1993, several African-American citizens held powerful and meaningful positions in society. Douglas Wilder became the first African American to be elected governor in 1989. Colin Powell served as Chairman of the US Armed Forces Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1989 to 1993. In 1992, Carol Moseley-Braun of Illinois became the first African-American woman elected to the US Senate. America was finally moving towards harmony between the races.
The thin white borders surrounding each figure imply how close races were to connecting, bonding, and living in peace. Only minor concerns kept races from fully accepting change. The fear of history repeating itself held some from trying to interact with different races. Also, the uncertainty of what would happen if they did interact kept many from trying. People only knew of violence and hatred, and could not visualize peace and unity. Most of all, many felt that they would lose their pride by harmonizing with races that harmed their family and friends. The white borders could also identify the small barrier that would always exist between races. The border did not mean that they could never achieve harmony, but that history would forever keep them apart. From cultural aspects, different races followed different rituals and traditions. Also, living in peace would not make them lose their race identity. Race does identify people and provides part of their background and where they came from; this produces the thin barrier. However, one race is no better than another, and that is what Hines aimed for in Aquatic Adventures.
Also pertaining to the idea of equality was Hines’ use of color. The various colors represent the different races. Hines shows the potential of how peaceful it would be for races to intertwine by making the contrast in colors beautiful and tranquil. The painting renders serenity with its cool color palette, smooth texture, and flowing lines. The painting shows that the storm has passed and the calm is soon to come. The light blue, the brightest color in the piece, signifies emerging light, illuminating and overpowering all the dark and harmful events of the past. Overall, Hines’ use of color exposes optimism and hope for the future.
Finally, the title Aquatic Adventures relates to the ocean’s system of living. In the ocean, species of fish swim together in schools. They travel collectively for protection and companionship. Venturing out and interacting with other species is risky, because they do not know if they will become friends or the fish’s next meal. Mingling with the other species is the adventure. Once they gather enough courage to socialize with other species, they find that they have much in common. They can learn from one another, protect one another, and live in harmony. There are always going to be the few species that cause harm to everyone else, but the ally species should work together and fight them off. The enemy species should not affect their peace and newfound companionship. This idea of survival and harmony in the ocean is similar to what Hines attempted to portray in his painting. Learning to live peacefully with different races is part of nature. We all have things in common and should focus on these traits to become friends. Focusing on our differences only creates more problems. Hines’ vision shows how close approaching harmony is for American society.
I feel that Hines did a wonderful job of capturing the struggle of peace among the races and the actions being taken to resolve the struggle. Also, using a new style that he was not very familiar or experienced with is impressive. The impact would not have been as strong had he used his usual geometric pattern technique. The curvatures clearly show movement and the progress being made to end race issues. The thin white borders surrounding each figure show how close races are to connecting and illuminate each color’s, or race’s, best qualities. The calm color palette gives Hines’ audience hope that peace is to come. I am sure Hines’ never imagined that in 2009, Americans would elect the first African-American President. The use of the ocean theme relates the race issue back to nature, and how the races can relate to each other and exist united. Overall, Hines’ Aquatic Adventures portrays how far American society has come to settling race issues and anticipates optimism for the future.
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