Throughout his illustrious career, Robert Colescott’s transgressive practices revolutionized painting and laid the foundation for many future artists. By way of inserting Black figures into American history paintings, Colescott’s work is often seen as a satirical critique on art history’s continuous omission of people of color. This dynamic painting is a fantastic, rare example of a work including a self-portrait of the artist. Hard Time features a worried Colescott simultaneously dating four women. His body is buried in rocks, and he is surrounded by the figures of three women (and the seductive leg of a fourth) as the truth of his two-timing endeavors is about to become public. He must choose one relationship now, before the candle of time runs out, or he will have none.