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The End of November: The Birds That Didn't Learn How to Fly

Thornton Dial American
2007
Not on view
This painting is one in a series that features hanging blackbirds. Made from the artist’s used paint rags and old gloves, the creatures are a signifier of Jim Crow, the general label for state and local racial segregation laws and practices. The evocative subtitle is meant to suggest the lynching and terror visited on Blacks in the South. Additionally, animals often serve as avatars in Dial’s work—particular examples, such as the tiger, function as symbols or human surrogates. Birds represent freedom in his symbolic universe, and the inability to fly here suggests the early denial or absence of liberty. Come November, the birds are unable to migrate to warmer weather and thus are left to die.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The End of November: The Birds That Didn't Learn How to Fly
  • Artist: Thornton Dial (American, Emelle, Alabama 1928–2016 McCalla, Alabama)
  • Date: 2007
  • Medium: Quilt, wire, fabric, and enamel on canvas on wood
  • Dimensions: 72 × 72 in. (182.9 × 182.9 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Gift of Souls Grown Deep Foundation from the William S. Arnett Collection, 2014
  • Object Number: 2014.548.5
  • Rights and Reproduction: © Estate of Thornton Dial/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

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Powder Plant, Thornton Dial American, Sheet metal, sawdust, commercial paint, and adhesive on canvas on wood
Powder Plant
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Victory in Iraq, Thornton Dial American, Mannequin head, barbed wire, steel, clothing, tin, electrical wire, wheels, stuffed animals, toy cars and figurines, plastic spoons, wood, basket, oil, enamel, spray paint and two-part epoxy putty on canvas on wood
Victory in Iraq
Thornton Dial
2004
Out of the Darkness, the Lord Gave Us Light, Thornton Dial American, Carpet, cloth, two-part epoxy putty, enamel, and spray paint on canvas on wood
Out of the Darkness, the Lord Gave Us Light
Thornton Dial
2003
Celebration, Thornton Dial American, Graphite, pastel, watercolor, and gouache on paper
Celebration
Thornton Dial
2004
9/11: Interrupting the Morning News, Thornton Dial American, Graphite, charcoal, and watercolor wash on paper
9/11: Interrupting the Morning News
Thornton Dial
2002

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