Wadsworth Jarrell: Compared to What – I Am Better
Than Those Motherfuckers and They Know It (1969)

My painting Compared to What: I Am Better Than Those Motherfuckers and They Know It was critiqued. The form consists of graffiti-style words and letters, mostly of the letter B—for Black is beautiful—and five figures in Cool Ade colors. The dominant figure in the painting is an African-American man sitting with his legs crossed, playing a guitar. The four figures in the background represent the European music group the Beatles. The words and letters, especially those near the end of the canvas, explode and fragment into multiple colored shapes. The white borders that rim the painting indicate that it is a poster. The statement “I Am Better Than Those Motherfuckers and They Know It” is difficult to read, because it is an intricate component of the form. Everyone agreed that the idea was well executed, and that it embodied excellent qualities. (source)