Ernie Barnes was an American painter, actor, and football player best known for his depictions of figures in motion. His compositions, often filled with crowds of people, were intended to promote racial harmony by showing people from different backgrounds standing side-by-side. “I am bound by the strongest ties with the organic life of all people,” the artist has said. “And being an artist has created in me the desire to continually affirm beauty.” Barnes is commonly associated with the painting The Sugar Shack (1976), which was inspired by the popular sitcom Good Times. It depicts a crowd of people dancing in a jazz club, their bodies twisting to the music. Born on July 15, 1938 in Durham, NC, Barnes began to experiment...