Ku Klux Klan Rally
Artist
Louis Ribak
(American, born Lithuania, 1903 - 1979)
Datecirca 1930
Mediumoil on canvas
DimensionsImage: 23 3/4 × 29 3/4 in. (60.3 × 75.6 cm)
Frame: 24 15/16 × 31 × 1 3/8 in. (63.3 × 78.7 × 3.5 cm)
Frame: 24 15/16 × 31 × 1 3/8 in. (63.3 × 78.7 × 3.5 cm)
ClassificationsPainting
Credit LineGift of the Estate of Beatrice Mandelman Ribak, 2003
Object number2003.3.1
DescriptionImage of several hooded figures in white robes standing around a bond fire at night. A man at the center in a brown suit and blue shirt holds a brown hat in his left hand. He is being marked on his right arm by a cloaked figure in a white robe and hood.eMuseum Notes
During
the depression Louis Ribak created several artworks reflecting the racial
tension rampant across the country. These images of the Ku Klux Klan place the
hooded figures in thick wooded areas under the cover of darkness. The nocturnal
meeting adds to the secretive nature of the Klan’s activities. In addition to contributing to the ominous
mood of Ribak’s painting, the foreboding setting drives home the covert nature
of this Klan initiation. This foreboding is accentuated by the fact that despite
being shrouded in both darkness and dense forest the participants still wear
their hoods.
On View
Not on view
