“American Dad”, by Sedrick Huckaby is a lithograph on Arches France Paper in portrait style. The image is of a African-American male father figure and it is part of a series of prints portraying the American family and specifically the African-American community. The figure’s facial expression seems to be one of deep thought, contemplating everything that comes with being a father in today's society. The portrait itself has very loose marking creating a very expressive image. It gives the figure not only its shape but also helps evokes his emotions. Even though it is not labeled as a self-portrait the male figure seems to represent Sedrick, a father of three, and anyone else that can relate to the image. The viewer resonates with the raw emotions that the image creates. The artists wants to viewer to focus solely on the father figure and to look deep into what he represents. The monochromatic color scheme is simple but yet powerful and sets the mood for the composition with its strong contrast. Sedrick seems to focus on the aspect of family and his African-American heritage in a time were we seem to focus on everything else. The size of the image is also important because the artist is wanting to give a “voice” in form of visual language to those who don't seem to have one. It also seems that Sedrick is subtly tackling an issue within the African-American family household when it comes to the role of the father. It could be that he is attempting to break the negative stereo-type that African-American father have in society. Overall Sedrick’s “American Dad” is a strong piece that represents his life and the life of many others.
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