This photograph is related to a moving-image installation, titled Once Again ... Statues Never Die, by British artist Isaac Julien. Once Again (Statues Never Die) reflects Julien’s lifelong project to reinstate Black presence in art and knowledge institutions. It also  intends to push back against the white supremacist narrative according to which Black people cannot create beauty or theorize about its substance, because of an alleged lack of emotional intelligence. 

Drawing on extensive archival research, the film is organized around the critical thoughts and gaze of Dr. Alain Locke, a Black philosopher and art critic who was dubbed the “Father of the Harlem Renaissance.” The film also features the figure of Black American sculptor Richmond Barthé (played by Australian actor Devon Terrell) who, in this photograph, appears absorbed in the contemplation of one of his most exquisite artworks, a Black Madonna from 1961.