Sacrifice of the Watermelon Virgin or Shirt off Her Back

About the Work

From the Artist

Well, I paint and make art because I like doing it; that’s always the motivating factor. I’ve created a variety of imagery over the years—figurative painting, photography, fashion portfolios. The subject matter I’m involved with, though, has always been seen as suspect, given the screwed-up culture we live in… Given the fucked-up-ness of American culture, we can say that everything [I’ve made] is political, but that’s not the case.
—Excerpted from https://hyperallergic.com/289393/barkley-l-hendricks-on-the-fucked-up-ness-of-american-culture/, accessed 6-22-2021

Sacrifice of the Watermelon Virgin or Shirt Off Her Back was inspired by a woman that Barkley L. Hendricks encountered in a club. He asked if he could see her shirt more closely, to which she very naturally replied by taking her shirt off and giving it to him. How’s that for the perfect combination of generosity and high self-esteem? 

Hendricks is making fun of the stereotype that Black people love watermelon and sex by depicting some watermelon stilettos that are about to be devoured by a tongue-out, fanged mouth on the right side of the painting, which contributes infinitely to the foot fetish-y vibe of the painting. This painting is a deviation from Hendricks’ usual artistic style, made up of portraits of the men and women, family, friends and sometimes complete strangers that had touched his life. According to Hendricks, these portraits have no political agenda but Shirt Off Her Back is a little different. Instead of delicately beating around the racism bush, Shirt Off Her Back tackles it head on. 
—Excerpted from https://www.sartle.com/artwork/sacrifice-of-the-watermelon-virgin-or-shirt-off-her-back-barkley-l.-hendricks, accessed 6-22-2021