The Taking of La Amistad
Oil on canvas
Collection of Savery Library, Talladega College, Talladega, Alabama
“Though the battle appears evenly pitched guns against cane knives and hand-to-hand combat–Woodruff is clear about the ultimate victory of the mutineers. Cinqué, with a face of steely resolve, is visible just off center at battle with the ship’s cook, who had taunted the captives with promises to cook them alive. In contrast, the opponents appear fearful and weak. The Spanish slave traders josé Ruiz (reaching up as if in prayer) and Pedro Montes (pinned down by the neck and under Yuang’s blade) were spared. They became primary witnesses against the Africans at the trial”
Oil on canvas
Collection of Savery Library, Talladega College, Talladega, Alabama
“Several figures in The Mutiny panel recour in this work Cinque and slave trader Pedro Montes stand in direct confrontation with each other, in The Mutiny, they are positioned back to back Of the twenty-six captives in the courtroom, five are also shown in The Mutiny. Woodruff relied on courtroom sketches from the 1840 trial, lending specificity and historical accuracy to the Africans’ portraits. He also shows the evidence: cane knives and a straw hat and white shirt. similar to those worn by Captain Ferrer (the hat) and his cook, Celestino (the shirt), in The Mutiny Woodruff painted himself sitting with his chin in his hand in the third row. identifying himself as one of the Amistad supporters.”
Oil on canvas
Collection of Savery Library, Talladega College, Talladega, Alabama
This third mural in the Founding cycle concludes the series in 1939. Joseph Fletcher, the building contractor and a graduate of Talladega College, oversees the construction of the library. Woodruff positions Fletcher in the left quadrant of the composition, occupying the same location as Cinqué in The Mutiny on the Amistad, which hangs opposite this panel in Savery Library. These visual connections encourage the viewer to link the stories of the two mural series as well as the larger social issues of civil rights. While Fletcher masterminds the cooperation between blacks and whites in the construction of a library intended for the education and ascent of African Americans, Cinqué ignites a rebellion against black oppression-each doing his part to advance opportunities for their race.