Faith Ringgold, Sunflowers, and Van Gogh

Faith Ringgold the Artist

Faith Ringgold was born in 1930 in New York City. Her artistic career spanned over 50 years before she sadly passed away in 2024. In her art, Ringgold examined political and social subjects that resonate with women and the Black population. An extremely prolific creator, Ringgold worked in many media—painting, sculpture, quilt, and poster.

The French Collection

The French Collection is a series of 12 works Faith Ringgold made between 1991–1997. They tell the story of Willia Marie Simone, a character created by the artist, who travels from New York to Paris in order to begin a new life as an artist and model. Ringgold herself visited France on a few occasions. Her travels were probably a great source of inspiration for her quilts.

In each piece from the series, the characters (Black women, either contemporary to Ringgold or significant figures in American history) are engaging either with a canonical work of Western art or with the artist themselves. By juxtaposing these modern Black females with works by white male artists, Ringgold emphasizes the lack of diversity in Western art history. Moreover, it is also a way of making the viewer aware that these women should also be a part of the canon.

Ringgold’s Sunflower Quilt

In The Sunflower Quilting Bee at Arles, we see eight women engaged in a “quilting bee”, which translates as a social gathering at which the participants make quilts. These women are Madam C.J. Walker, Sojourner Truth, Ida B. Wells, Fannie Lou Hamer, Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Mary McLeod Bethune, and Ella Baker. Every one of them is remarkable in their own regard.

They are joined by the famous painter Vincent van Gogh holding a vase with sunflowers, an allusion to one of his most famous works. One could say that the flowers are also, in a way, characters. They appear not only on the quilt and in the vase but also surround the whole scene.

They also indicate the changes in art and society that have occurred since the time of Van Gogh. The sunflowers held by the painter represent the Impressionist style. However, the flowers on the quilt look modernist and geometrical. It seems that Ringgold wanted to show us that these women are part of a new contemporary society, while Van Gogh, the white male painter, belongs to a different period.

The Sunflower Quilting Bee at Arles consists of two elements: the canvas and the frame. The border is created from a pieced fabric on which the artist placed a text telling the story of the represented scene. This way, we can learn about the lives of the characters. The artist described the women as hard workers engaged in social change, in opposition to Van Gogh, who is situated as an outcast. This sentiment is also conveyed through the composition. The women are sitting all together, whereas the painter is standing behind them, looking at the scene but not participating.

Arts or Crafts?

Quilting is a technique that had not been considered a proper art form for decades. Historically, it was mainly a female occupation. Mothers would teach their daughters how to create quilts at home. It was not a technique taught at the art academies, and people would associate it with crafts rather than “high art.”

In The Sunflower Quilting Bee at Arles, Faith Ringgold brings our attention to the importance of this medium in two ways. Firstly, she chose it to execute her artwork. Secondly, she made it the main topic of the composition. This is not the only topic she has undertaken in this work. Ringgold also discusses what really matters in society. In the text, she writes:

Ringgold discusses the significant role of art in society. Art can preserve the histories, cultures, and practices of people. This is why she chose to convene these women at a quilting bee. She wants to present what is important to her as an artist. What is more, by portraying these Black Feminists and Activists, Ringgold asserts they should and will be remembered in history.