Matta’s kinetic canvas is ablaze with a sense of acrimony sparked by violence and injustice. The painting is a direct response to the Watts Rebellion, but it’s really a flowing fury, one that acknowledges how the progression of horrors from the Vietnam War and incessant racial oppression lit the fuse under Los Angeles in 1965. Feeling that same ire, jazz composer and bandleader Horace Tapscott armed the community with instruments and founded The Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra out of the ashes of smoldering South LA. His spirit of community activation aligned with the Black Panther Party’s vision, albeit from a more artistic standpoint, and their association led Tapscott to compose the Panther theme song, “Seize the Time,” sung by future party leader Elaine Brown.