Walking

“The idea of a march was growing. . . . It was in the air . . . and this painting just came. I called it Walking on purpose. It wasn’t the militancy that you saw later. It was a very definite walk—not going back, no hesitation.” – Charles Alston

Charles Alston painted Walking two years after the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The Alabama boycott’s success influenced the political and social protests of the 1960s, including the 1963 March on Washington.

The flattened planes of color and sculptural forms were inspired by Alston’s interest in African sculpture and European modernism. This approach adds weight and power to the figures, suggesting the important but often overlooked role that women played as leaders, participants, and critical contributors to the success of the Civil Rights Movement.

This colorful, modernist painting depicts women and a young girl walking in front of a long line of others. The figures move out of a shadowy background on the left, towards the light, emanating from the upper right corner. The line appears to be moving forwards, out of the picture plane. The women leading the line step forward strongly to the viewer's right; their leg movements are delineated by the columns of strongly contrasting light and shadow of their long skirts. The leading woman's face is upturned towards the light. Next to and slightly behind her a second female figure, with forward facing gaze, has her right arm around a much smaller female figure. This child figure moves with the line but turns her head to face the viewer, hands folded at the waist. Directly behind them is another female figure carrying a swathed infant. There are several isolated individuals outside the orderly grouping of the line. The line is the focus of their gaze; the nearest individual turns her back on the viewer as she focuses on the line.