“The Ancient Watch” (1975), an acrylic and collaged work on canvas, is a wonderful example of the artist’s play with figuration, color, and form to evoke African diasporic imagery that transcends its two-dimensionality. A host of faces emerge from the center of a saturated environment, strokes of red, yellow, and blue, as well as small dots and symbols, are revealed through small gaps in an overlay of white gestural marks. By compounding layers of colored and white strokes, Driskell creates a luminous and otherworldly environment that immerses viewers in an indistinct world. Evocative of African masks, the faces are rendered with sharp, symmetrical lines and rounded brows that accentuate the ancients’ wide eyes and ever-present gaze. Driskell engages African diasporic iconography as a celebratory endeavor, a resistant and radical proclamation that affirms and memorializes the histories and sacrifices of his ancestors. From Picasso to Mondrian, Monet to Cezanne, the influence of African artistry on the practices of so-called European masters is undeniable.

Caroll, N. Angela, "The Energy of a Moment in David Driskell’s Exhibition “Resonance” at DC Moore Gallery", BmoreArt, June 5, 2019.