Around the same time I also made two paintings inspired by his life/work, which I figured I’d share now. One is an icon-style-inspired image based on a portrait of him[1]:
The second is based on a print depicting the floor plan of an infamous slave ship (Brooks). The print was used by abolitionists (mainly(?) the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade) to help communicate the horror of the trade.
I found it useful to paint it (and appreciate having it around today). But I imagine that not everyone might want to see it, so I’ll skip a few lines here in case you expanded this quick take and decide you want to scroll past/collapse it instead.
Wow, I’ve never seen that print before. That is absolutely horrifying. I feel kind of sick looking at it. What a stark reminder of the costs of getting morality wrong. Thank you for painting it, for sharing it, and for the reminder of this day.
Benjamin Lay — “Quaker Comet”, early (radical) abolitionist, general “moral weirdo” — died on this day 267 years ago.
I shared a post about him a little while back, and still think of February 8 as “Benjamin Lay Day”.
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Around the same time I also made two paintings inspired by his life/work, which I figured I’d share now. One is an icon-style-inspired image based on a portrait of him[1]:
The second is based on a print depicting the floor plan of an infamous slave ship (Brooks). The print was used by abolitionists (mainly(?) the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade) to help communicate the horror of the trade.
I found it useful to paint it (and appreciate having it around today). But I imagine that not everyone might want to see it, so I’ll skip a few lines here in case you expanded this quick take and decide you want to scroll past/collapse it instead.
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The original (see post) was commissioned by Deborah Read as a gift for her husband Benjamin Franklin, who also Benjamin Lay’s friend.
Wow, I’ve never seen that print before. That is absolutely horrifying. I feel kind of sick looking at it. What a stark reminder of the costs of getting morality wrong. Thank you for painting it, for sharing it, and for the reminder of this day.
Thank you for reminding about this remarkable person. I’ll add him to my personal inspirational list of Humanity’s Best People