The Beautiful Struggle By Stephen Von Mason
To encounter Milton Bowens’ works of art is to experience a world of beautifully executed visual stories filled with memory and allegory. The culmination of art idioms and the blending of varied art styles make for an exciting use of materials, along the lines of say, Romare Bearden, Robert Rauschenberg, Raymond Saunders and Jean Michel Basquiat. This school of artists may be of interest in terms of application of materials and study. At the same time Milton’s work has its own hit, its own chop. The paintings are very powerful with an engaging presence. Milton’s work draws from different cultural and artistic sources but is not defined by any one element, on the other hand his work is hard to categorize. I also believe that the work is very focused in its content, such as how it addresses the humanization of Africans in America, while its imagery transcends boundaries and has universal concerns. Milton’s work brings home two very important elements that are, true freedom and humanity, a seemingly tough fight that appears to get harder as we all get so-called better. Milton paints about a time when many Americans were “Without Sanctuary”…with nowhere to run and hide, and his work grapples with this horrific time in the history of America. Many have argued that there is no room for social and political issues in Art, but the one constant throughout history has been the fact that most Art has been, and continues to be, cloaked with politics in some fashion. With this in mind, it is of utmost importance for Milton to use his paintings to express his ideas and concerns. These are concerns that are slipping away from the American consciousness and setting up a dangerous complacency, which will eventually explode. It’s a fine line to walk when making difficult art. Art should attack sometimes, sort of like a rose bush that is so utterly desirable and beautiful but will surely stick you. As long as the work is strong, richly evocative and intricate, while having meaning, that’s what it’s really all about. Is it good art or is it bad art? When the paintings exhibit in foreign countries, those art lovers won’t understand most of the content in Milton’s work but it will speak to them because the art is universal and the art is good. There is dialogue even if the content is forbidden. Milton Bowens’ artwork shows the incredible pain and injustice in of African Americans and it also shows the possibilities of human progress and evolution. The end product in my mind is the fact that Milton has created bodies of work that are passages of revelation and discovery.
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