Beauford Delaney is considered by many to be one of the most important African American artists of our time. However, he was frequently discouraged by the racial barriers he encountered while working in New York. As a result, he settled in Paris to seek opportunity and flourished there. He produced this portrait of Richard A. Long while in Paris. As a young scholar, Long became part of the circle of American expatriates that included Delaney. This quarter-length portrait of Long is painted with intense shades of yellow against a soft blue background. It is a tender portrait of a friend that illustrates both the promise of a future unfettered by racial strife and the burgeoning talent of its young subject.