Purvis Young (1943–2010) Exodus Boat with Figures, Miami, 1980s

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Purvis Young
Exodus Boat with Figures, Miami, 1980s
House paint on found political campaign board
24" W × 16" H

… Read more Purvis Young
Exodus Boat with Figures, Miami, 1980s
House paint on found political campaign board
24" W × 16" H

This powerful late-period work by Purvis Young (1943–2010) exemplifies the artist’s enduring engagement with themes of migration, collective survival, and spiritual transcendence, rendered through his raw, immediately recognizable visual language. Executed on a found corrugated political campaign sign, the painting depicts a dark, elongated boat carrying a row of upright, silhouetted figures across a turbulent, abstracted seascape.

The composition is anchored by the heavy black hull and repeated figure forms—one of Young’s most persistent motifs—symbolizing anonymous humanity bound together by shared passage and uncertainty. Rising above the boat is a vertical, pale gray-white form, suggestive of spirit, prayer, smoke, or divine presence. This ascending gesture introduces a metaphysical dimension, reflecting Young’s frequent merging of biblical allusion with contemporary social realities, particularly the perilous sea crossings.

The surface is vigorously worked with scraped, layered strokes of gray, black, and muted pastel tones, creating a sense of movement and instability that evokes open water and emotional tension. The gestural handling and economy of form are characteristic of Young’s later works, where narrative clarity gives way to heightened symbolism and expressive force.

Signed in the upper right “Young” in contrasting black and gray paint, the inscription reflects the artist’s unconventional signing practice. The use of multiple colors and a numerical suffix is consistent with Young’s studio habits and reinforces the work’s authenticity and immediacy.

Painted on the reverse of a City of Miami political campaign sign, the work gains additional resonance. Young’s use of discarded civic materials—campaign boards, street debris, salvaged wood—rooted his practice firmly in the lived environment of Overtown and underscored his quiet resistance to institutional power structures. Here, the imagery of displaced figures layered over political ephemera poignantly elevates human endurance above electoral rhetoric.

This work stands as a compelling example of Purvis Young’s mature vision: direct, spiritual, socially charged, and inseparable from the streets of Miami. See less