--- description: Artist Titus Kaphar painted the portrait that appears on the cover of this week's TIME. He has written the following work to accompany the art. title: Artist Titus Kaphar on his George Floyd TIME Cover image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt462628527c81d573/698a0ee422fb85201ce2b15a/TIM200615_Floyd.Cover_..jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- * [Ideas](/section/ideas/) ## Ideas Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Race](/tag/race/) ## Race Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # 'I Cannot Sell You This Painting.' Artist Titus Kaphar on his George Floyd TIME Cover Jun 4, 2020 10:19 AM CUT  Painting by Titus Kaphar for TIME by [Titus Kaphar](/author/titus-kaphar/) ## Titus Kaphar Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 4, 2020 10:19 AM CUT _Artist Titus Kaphar painted the portrait that appears on the_ [_cover_](https://time.com/5847667/the-story-behind-times-george-floyd-cover "undefined") _of this week’s TIME. He has written the following piece to accompany the work._ I can not sell you this painting. In her expression, I see the Black mothers who are unseen, and rendered helpless in this fury against their babies. As I listlessly wade through another cycle of violence against Black people, I paint a Black mother… eyes closed, furrowed brow, holding the contour of her loss. Is this what it means for us? Are black and loss analogous colors in America? If Malcolm could not fix it, if Martin could not fix it, if Michael, Sandra, Trayvon, Tamir, Breonna and Now George Floyd… can be murdered and nothing changes… wouldn’t it be foolish to remain hopeful? Must I accept that this is what it means to be Black in America? Do not ask me to be hopeful. I have given up trying to describe the feeling of knowing that I can not be safe in the country of my birth… How do I explain to my children that the very system set up to protect others could be a threat to our existence? How do I shield them from the psychological impact of knowing that for the rest of our lives we will likely be seen as a threat, and for that We may die? A MacArthur won’t protect you . A Yale degree won’t protect you . Your well-spoken plea will not change hundreds of years of institutionalized hate. You will never be as eloquent as Baldwin, you will never be as kind as King… So, isn’t it only reasonable to believe that there will be no change soon? And so those without hope… Burn. This Black mother understands the fire. Black mothers understand despair. I can change NOTHING in this world, but in paint, I can realize her…. This brings me solace… not hope, but solace. She walks me through the flames of rage. My Black mother rescues me yet again. I want to be sure that she is seen. I want to be certain that her story is told. And so, this time America must hear her voice. This time America must believe her. One Black mother’s loss WILL be memorialized. This time I will not let her go. I can not sell you this painting. **More from the issue:** * [Why The Killing of George Floyd Sparked an American Uprising](https://time.com/5847967/george-floyd-protests-trump/ "undefined") * [Why Are Black Women and Girls Still an Afterthought in Our Outrage Over Police Violence?](https://time.com/5847970/police-brutality-black-women-girls/ "undefined") * [There is No Right Way to Fight for Your Life](https://time.com/5847969/black-lives-matter-protests/ "undefined") * [“We Just Want to Live.” Photographers Share What They Experienced While Covering Protests Across America](https://time.com/5847392/george-floyd-protests-photographers/ "undefined") * [George Floyd’s Murder Shows Once More That We Cannot Wait For White America to End Racism](https://time.com/5844645/george-floyds-shows-we-cannot-wait-end-racism/ "undefined") [There is No Right Way to Fight for Your Life](https://time.com/5847969/black-lives-matter-protests/ "undefined") [“We Just Want to Live.” Photographers Share What They Experienced While Covering Protests Across America](https://time.com/5847392/george-floyd-protests-photographers/ "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5847487/george-floyd-time-cover-titus-kaphar/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5847487/george-floyd-time-cover-titus-kaphar/"},"headline":"'I Cannot Sell You This Painting.' 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