Experiencing a culture with a painful past...

When Rose Piper spent time traveling the American South, she had no idea how much cultural inspiration she would gather. Discovering new types of jazz music and experiencing another type of food in Louisiana allowed her to gather a collective understanding of the south’s uniqueness. After immersing herself culturally, she created “Slow Down Freight Train,” her most well-known work. Characterized by a folk song entitled “Freight Train Blues,” by Trixie Smith, one can find Piper’s inspiration for this painting from the long struggle of southern African-Americans. Piper uses modern styles, such as cubism, to depict the pain and story of the Great Migration.

The Great Migration of 1913 occurred when the Jim Crow south provided scarce opportunity for African-Americans. Many males began moving to the industrial north, searching for low end factory jobs and setting up a new life so that their wife and family could join them later. When later never happened, several families experienced pain even though the men had joined an unknown world in hopes of a fresh start. In “Slow Down Freight Train,” a man sits on the edge of a cargo car looking back. Head tilted back to show pain, he could be looking back towards home or towards God but regardless, one can tell he has left somewhere he loves. The pain shows the sting upon reality, and “Piper says that the title of her painting is “...a women's plea for the train to slow down so that she might go along with her man” (Ackland.org).

The African American experience is the inspiration for thousands of paintings and artwork. The rich history is one of pain, strength, and willpower. Piper’s work reflects cubism, “which is a painting of a normal scene but painted so that it is viewed from multiple views while the positions of some of the parts are rotated or moved so that it is odd looking and scrambled” (wikipedia.com). It is a modern technique that was popular in France from 1907 to 1914 where artists use geometric shapes and odd patterns to create depth to their artwork (wikipedia.com). Usually, there are pieces with different meanings that come together to form a bigger idea. It is also said about cubism that, “instead of depicting objects from one viewpoint, the artist depicts the subject from a multitude of viewpoints to represent the subject in a greater context” (wikipedia.com).

"Slow Down Freight Train" appears simple at first, but as one continues to delve into the meaning of Piper’s piece, one can easily see that it is abstract and deeply rooted. There is the African American man, the train, and the fields with telephone lines. One can easily see that the man represents struggle and a sense of unknowing. The train represents his passage to a new world and a new start. And I believe the fields with telephone lines are the most meaningful parts of the painting, because they represent his connection to home, a connection to where he has been and came from. It is certainly most important in one’s life that they never forget where they come from because then they essentially forget who they are. It is obvious to me that the African American experience is the big idea of this painting. As we know from Piper’s background and the background of cubism, her paintings are a reflection of her experience and style. By traveling through the American South during the 1940’s she gathered knowledge on exactly what African Americans were going through. Piper states, "...powerful passions and anguished recollections of the black experience. The abstraction of the human figure...arises out of a single moment of heightened expression. The attenuated form suggests the essence of longing” (Ackland.org). I think her depiction of this in Slow Down Freight Train, while only containing one man, says extensive amounts about what people were really looking for in a world torn by depression.

By using a contrast of curvilinear lines and warm colors, Piper presents a story; a story known by many, especially those living during that period. One would think that to convey sadness Piper would use a cool color scheme of blues and purples; yet, she paints with reds and yellows. This could symbolize the hope that a new start brings to families. The African American is wearing a red shirt, which is not typical dress during that period. According to Wikipedia red symbolizes anger, death, blood, passion and love (wikipedia.com). Many of those aspects such as anger, death, and love can be associated with the man in this work. Anger is reflected by those he is leaving, death by the possibility that his dream may die in the North and love because he is doing this for the love of his family. The picture can certainly be seen as having caricaturist features, but I believe this is the result of the modernistic, curvilinear approach.
Even at first glance, one can tell that this piece of art has a story deeply rooted in southern America. When I asked another student here at Carolina what they saw when they looked at this picture, they replied “it seems like the man is in pain and looks as if he is leaving something he loves.” There is no way for every person to understand what people in this situation had to go through, but Rose Piper certainly gives us a glance and evokes an emotion and attachment in the viewer. The African American experience translates such a powerful emotion, especially in those who are involved. Rose Piper’s "Slow Down Freight Train" certainly gives us a single glimpse of the past with a combination of modern art and old history. It is my belief that when you actually take the time to look into the meaning of a painting that you will feel satisfied afterwards and Piper certainly leaves us with a feeling that we have gained experience and understanding through her interpretation of the Great Migration.