“The Piano Lesson,” starring Samuel L. Jackson and John David Washington, is a Netflix adaptation of August Wilson’s Pulitzer-Prize winning play “The Piano Lesson” (1987) that portrays the lives of the Charles family and what to do with their family heirloom, a piano. While there are some differences between the play and the movie, both focus on Black American culture, family, and perseverance. My ancestor, Romare Bearden (1911 - 1988), was a Black American artist whose work illustrated concepts of history, music, family, community, and spirituality. Many of his renowned art pieces feature elements of Cubism, created by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, which involves the use of geometric shapes to produce abstract and fragmented visuals. His print titled “The Piano Lesson” was used as inspiration for the 1983 play and Wilson often mentioned his admiration for my ancestor’s work.

Taking a deeper look at this art piece, we can see that the main subjects are the piano, the young girl, and a female figure. The piano symbolizes discipline and the passing down of musical expression, the young girl highlights the eagerness to learn and cultural continuity, and the female figure represents wisdom and mentorship.

I feel a strong connection to this piece because, as a young violinist, my mom assisted me in ensuring that my musical scales were precise, in tune, and on beat. Furthermore, I come from a family that highly values musicianship, as both of my grandparents and parents played musical instruments, I played one, and if I choose to have children, I’d like to continue the legacy by ensuring they play an instrument as well.

I believe my appreciation for artistic expression was likely inherited, given that I am a photographer who enjoys studying various art forms and blending them into my creations.

THE PIANO LESSON

PHOTOGRAPHY AND SOCIAL MEDIA