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CC0
Still Life with Roses
- Created by
- Porter, Charles Ethan, American, 1847 - 1923
- Date
- ca. 1885-87
- Medium
- oil paint on linen (material)
- Dimensions
- H x W x D (Framed Painting): 16 × 22 1/4 × 2 1/2 in. (40.6 × 56.5 × 6.4 cm)
- H x W x D (Unframed Painting): 10 × 16 × 1/2 in. (25.4 × 40.6 × 1.3 cm)
- H x W x D (Crate): 24 1/2 × 31 1/2 × 10 in. (62.2 × 80 × 25.4 cm)
- Description
- This oil painting depicts a bouquet of off-white roses and greenery in a brown bowl. The round bowl, done in deep brown tones, stands to the right side of the picture. In the bowl are five blooms and several sprays of greenery. Several other blossoms, a sprig of greenery and a long stem lie scattered around the bowl. Peeking from behind the bowl are a pile of darker green leaves and a cluster of bright red berries. Hanging on the left hand background wall is a textile with a yellow, red, and white plaid pattern.
- Place made
- New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Type
- oil paintings
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2014.42.1
- Restrictions & Rights
- Public Domain
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The Big Egg
- Created by
- Clark, Ed, American, 1926 - 2019
- Date
- 1968
- On ViewCulture/Fourth Floor, 4 052
- Exhibition
- Visual Art and the American Experience
- Medium
- mixed media on canvas
- Dimensions
- H x W: 64 1/4 × 81 1/2 in. (163.2 × 207 cm)
- Description
- Oval-shaped abstract mixed media painting with large horizontal brush strokes and three fields of color. The canvas, shaped like a horizontal ellipse, is covered by three main fields of color: orange-red, at top, blue-green in the middle, and pink at bottom. There is a single streak of white partway across the orange field. Encroaching onto the orange field is a spray and spatter of blue-green paint. There is a darker orange shadow behind the spray. The blue-green field brightens gradually to a more blue-based color as it nears the bottom. At the very bottom of the painting is a narrow streak of pink.
- Place made
- Vétheuil, Val-d'Oise, France, Europe
- Portfolio/Series
- Vétheuil Series
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Type
- acrylic paintings
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2013.125abc
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Ed Clark
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Girl in Red Dress
- Created by
- Waring, Laura Wheeler, American, 1887 - 1948
- Subject of
- Unidentified Woman or Women
- Date
- ca. 1935
- On ViewCulture/Fourth Floor, 4 052
- Exhibition
- Visual Art and the American Experience
- Medium
- oil on museum board
- Dimensions
- H x W (unframed): 18 × 14 in. (45.7 × 35.6 cm)
- H x W x D (frame): 23 5/8 × 19 11/16 × 1 3/4 in. (60 × 50 × 4.5 cm)
- Description
- This oil painting depicts a young woman in a red off-the-shoulder dress. Wearing long red fingerless gloves, a large black ring, an earring and makeup, she sits with one knee drawn up to her chest. Her clasped hands rest on her raised knee. Although she faces the viewer, her gaze is lowered, her head slightly bent forward. Her dark, wavy hair, parted on the left, hangs to her shoulders. The painting is signed by the artist and has a gallery label affixed to the back.
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Type
- oil paintings
- portraits
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2013.18
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Laura Wheeler Waring. Permission required for use.
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Grand Dame Queenie
- Created by
- Sherald, Amy, American, born 1973
- Date
- 2012
- On ViewCulture/Fourth Floor, 4 052
- Exhibition
- Visual Art and the American Experience
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- H x W (unframed): 54 1/8 × 43 × 2 1/2 in. (137.5 × 109.2 × 6.4 cm)
- Description
- Oil painting that depicts a three-quarter length portrait of a woman with closely cropped hair holding a teacup and saucer decorated with a profile silhouette of a woman’s face. The cup and saucer is white with gold edging. There is a gold wreath around the silhouette. The woman is wearing a high necked red blouse that is tied at the neck with a bright yellow scarf. The long sleeves have ruffles at the cuffs. The shirt is tucked into black and white striped pants with a yellow button. The background fades from a bright blue at the top to bright purple at the bottom. Bright fuchsia splashes are scattered throughout the background. The woman gazes directly at the viewer.
- Place made
- Baltimore, Maryland, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Type
- oil paintings
- portraits
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2013.20
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Amy Sherald
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Ghana Women Dancing
- Created by
- Biggers, John, American, 1924 - 2001
- Date
- 1968
- On ViewCulture/Fourth Floor, 4 052
- Exhibition
- Visual Art and the American Experience
- Medium
- oil and acrylic paint and chalk on canvas
- Dimensions
- H x W x D (frame): 43 1/8 × 37 1/16 × 1 9/16 in. (109.5 × 94.2 × 4 cm)
- H x W (unframed): 35 15/16 × 29 15/16 in. (91.3 × 76 cm)
- Description
- This is an oil painting of two dancing women. The women wear duku head ties, blouses, and floor-length skirts. The figure on the left has a skirt that wraps around her, with abstract color patterns in yellow and red tones. She wears a blue sleeveless blouse with a white pattern and an off-white head tie with yellow and red highlights. The woman stands with her body facing the viewer, head bent towards her left and bending forward from the waist. The woman next to her stands with her back to the viewer, wearing an off-white wrap skirt and blue short sleeve blouse with light blue pattern. She bends forward slightly from the waist, her left foot visible beneath her skirt. Behind them is a large green moon against a dark blue sky with white stars and constellations in the background.
- Place made
- Houston, Harris County, Texas, United States, North and Central America
- Cultural Place
- Ghana, West Africa, Africa
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Type
- oil paintings
- Topic
- Africa
- African diaspora
- Art
- Dance
- Women
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Gerald and Anita Smith
- Object number
- 2012.162.1
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Estate of John Biggers. Permission required for use.
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Old Man
- Created by
- Biggers, John, American, 1924 - 2001
- Date
- 1946
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- H x W x D (frame): 51 1/2 × 20 1/2 × 2 3/4 in. (130.8 × 52.1 × 7 cm)
- H x W (unframed): 46 7/8 × 24 5/8 × 1 in. (119 × 62.5 × 2.5 cm)
- Description
- This is an oil painting depicting the figure of an old man. Wearing a long black coat and a narrow brimmed brown hat, he has shoulder length white hair. He holds a stick or cane with his right hand out in front of him and carries a wrinkled paper bag in his left hand. In the background are wooden structures. Made of wooden boards, they have peaked single roofs and tilt slightly. A partial window is visible behind the figure's left shoulder. The ground is represented by undulating waves in brownish-purple that flow under the figure's feet. The painting is signed by the artist in the lower left corner "Bigger 6-46."
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Type
- oil paintings
- Topic
- Art
- Communities
- Men
- Poverty
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Gerald and Anita Smith
- Object number
- 2012.162.2
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Estate of John Biggers. Permission required for use.
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Black Jesus
- Created by
- Hunter, Clementine, American, ca. 1886 - 1988
- Date
- ca. 1985
- Medium
- oil or acrylic paint on canvas board
- Dimensions
- H x W (unframed): 14 × 11 in. (35.6 × 27.9 cm)
- H x W x D (framed): 16 7/16 × 13 7/16 × 2 5/16 in. (41.8 × 34.1 × 5.9 cm)
- Description
- This oil painting depicts a human figure with arms extended horizontally. The figure wears a long loose dark red/brown robe that flares outward towards the hem. The figure's head, an oval with two white spots for eyes as the only defined features, has short lines radiating outward from the scalp. There are two small round red spots over the figure's chest. At the ends of each horizontal arm is a larger oblong of paint. Each oblong has a streak of red trickling from the center. At the bottom of the figure are two short triangular brush strokes. Each triangular shape has a red streak running through the middle. To the right of the figure are two short vertical lines crossed by three horizontal short lines. They are done in a dark reddish-brown color. Pencil lines are visible underneath the brush strokes. There is a dark grey blue line of color across the top of the painting, and a green line across the bottom.
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Type
- paintings
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Henley A. Hunter, Kathey N. Hunter, and Anne Kathryn Hunter
- Object number
- 2012.168
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Cane River Art Corporation
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Arty (Centerpiece)
- Created by
- Stevens, Nelson, American, born 1938
- Subject of
- Turner Crawford, Arlene, American
- AfriCOBRA, founded 1968
- Date
- 1970
- On ViewCulture/Fourth Floor, 4 052
- Exhibition
- Visual Art and the American Experience
- Medium
- acrylic paint on canvas
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 50 × 50 × 2 in. (127 × 127 × 5.1 cm)
- Description
- This is an abstract acrylic painting depicting a woman from the neck up. Done in a color palette of red, orange, blue, and purple, the woman's form is made up of clusters of rounded and abstract pools of color. Viewed slightly from below, she faces forward and gazes upward.
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Movement
- BAM (Black Arts Movement 1965-1976)
- Type
- acrylic paintings
- portraits
- Topic
- Activism
- Art
- Identity
- Professional organizations
- Religion
- Women
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2016.73
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Nelson Stevens. Permission required for use.
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SWANstudy #2 (for Aretemisia)
- Created by
- Rozeal, American, born 1966
- Date
- 2012
- On ViewCulture/Fourth Floor, 4 052
- Exhibition
- Visual Art and the American Experience
- Medium
- acrylic paint, ink and graphite on wood panel
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 72 × 60 × 2 in. (182.9 × 152.4 × 5.1 cm)
- H x W x D (Crate): 80 × 68 1/2 × 9 3/4 in. (203.2 × 174 × 24.8 cm)
- Caption
- Rozeal’s work has been referred to as a visual mash-up that juxtaposes elements of Japanese art and culture with African American hip hop pictures and fashion. Brown creates her figures by combining traditional Japanese characters and ukiyo-e printmaking with contemporary hip hop style and imagery. She has termed her ongoing project A3…Afro-Asiatic Allegory after discovering the Ganguro subculture born in the mid-1990’s among female Japanese teenagers.
- Rozeal has incorporated many cultural references into this painting. The figure’s hairdo mimics the braids and dreads so popular amongst black teenagers and hip hop enthusiasts of varying backgrounds. The scarab, traditionally an Egyptian amulet in the shape of a beetle, hanging from the pearl necklace, has long been a popular jewelry item and good luck charm, sometimes interpreted as a symbol “of rebirth or regeneration.”
- The dedication to Aretemisia may refer to Italian Baroque artist, Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-c. 1656). Although Artemisia was a great sartist, she was also known for the court trial in which her accused rapist was successfully prosecuted. Brown’s young woman seems fearless as well—confident in her wardrobe and self-presentation.
- The title, SWANstudy, may reference the Greek myth of Leda and the swan.
- Rozeal’s lavishly adorned woman draws together many elements that make this image so rich—the excess and folly of the young, the homage to intersecting traditions, and the universal irresistibility of pop culture. It serves as a handy demonstration of the myriad connections to African American culture found around the world.
- A recurring character in Rozeal's work is Yoshi, a wise female war hero—sporting an afro and classical Japanese garb—whose enlightened state allows her to exist as a communicant between divinities and mortals, guiding those still on earth.
- The artist's paintings have been widely exhibited, and she received a solo show at Cleveland's Museum of Contemporary Art in 2010. In 2011 she was commissioned to create a performance for the Performa biennial.
- Description
- This stylized figurative painting, reminiscent of a Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock print, features a female figure with vivid blue hair holding a string of pearls in her teeth. The woman's head tilts to her left. Her long, braided hair is gathered into a twist at her neck, and heavy bangs frame her face. A single braid runs down the left side of her face, through a large hoop earring in her right ear, and down to her leg. The necklace hanging from her mouth features a large blue scarab affixed at the bottom of the loop. Her right shoulder is covered with a red cloth, and her left shoulder is draped by an abstracted white fur garment that wraps around to her right, behind the red cloth. Part of the woman's face and torso are a dark brown, with a thick set edge implying a mask or garment. Her pale skin is painted or tattooed in a blue pattern around her shoulder, arm and breast. At the lower edge of the painting, the hilt of a Japanese katana-type sword is visible, topped with a tsuba, or a guard that is placed at the end of the sword grip. The edges and many details of the painting are outlined in black ink to heighten the evocation of an etched print. The entire top edge, and left and right borders, of the front panel of the panel are trimmed in red. Across the panel, there are carefully spaced and controlled drips of paint running both vertically, such as across the woman's face and torso, and horizontally, near the sword grip. The sides of the panel are painted the same teal blue as in the woman's hair.
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Type
- acrylic paintings
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Dr. Carl and Shirley Schwartz
- Object number
- 2016.79
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Iona Rozeal Brown. Permission required for use.
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Spring--Delightful Flower Bed
- Created by
- Alma Thomas, American, 1891 - 1978
- Date
- 1967
- On ViewCulture/Fourth Floor, 4 052
- Exhibition
- Visual Art and the American Experience
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 37 1/4 × 37 1/4 × 2 3/8 in. (94.6 × 94.6 × 6 cm)
- Description
- This is an abstract and colorful mosaic-style painting with concentric circles filling a square space with a light green background. Each circle is composed of rectangular shapes of similar color and size, but each circle varies in color and width.
- Place made
- Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Type
- oil paintings
- Topic
- Art
- Local and regional
- Nature
- Resistance
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of William J. and Brenda L. Galloway and Family
- Object number
- 2015.151
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Charles Thomas Lewis
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The Argument
- Created by
- Motley, Archibald John Jr., American, 1891 - 1981
- Owned by
- Barnett-Aden Gallery, American, 1943 - 1969
- Date
- 1940
- On ViewCulture/Fourth Floor, 4 052
- Exhibition
- Visual Art and the American Experience
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- H x W: 40 × 30 in. (101.6 × 76.2 cm)
- Description
- This oil painting depicts a street scene with a group of men arguing. In the painting's foreground are five men standing in a rough circle. Two men have their backs to the viewer, one tall thin figure wearing a grey suit and fedora. He carries a cigarette in his left hand, held behind his back. The second man is short, fat, and wears a light colored shirt and dark blue pants. He is balding and has his hands on his hips. He faces three taller men. The tallest wears a brown bowler hat over one eye and red tie with a dark blue suit. He stands with his legs spread and has a cigarette in his open mouth. Next to him is a man in a light colored suit with a flat blue cap. He holds a smoking cigarette in front of his face with his right hand. The third man wears a dark blue suit and flat cap. He leans against the wall behind him and gestures with his right hand. Slightly in front of him is an overflowing can of garbage. Slightly behind the group of men to the left is another man with his head tilted upwards, drinking from a flask. Above the men is an open window in the brick building behind them. A woman in a green sleeveless dress sits at the window, right hand on the sill, left hand touching her hair. Her head is turned downwards towards the men. Beyond the brick building is a small green yard with a laundry line. A woman in a red dress and white apron is hanging white sheets on the line. She looks over her shoulder at the group of men. Beyond the laundry line is a small house with a porch. A man in a white shirt and dark pants stands on the porch, leaning forward on the railings. It is signed and dated by the artist.
- Place depicted
- Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Type
- paintings
- Topic
- Art
- Communities
- Men
- Stereotypes
- Urban life
- Women
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Robert L. Johnson
- Object number
- 2015.2.5
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Valerie Gerrard Browne. Permission required for use.
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Remembering Ummah
- Created by
- Dexter, Norman F.
- Subject of
- J Dilla, American, 1974 - 2006
- Date
- 2006 - 2012
- Medium
- oil paint on canvas with stones
- Dimensions
- H x W: 48 × 36 in. (121.9 × 91.4 cm)
- Description
- An unframed painted portrait of J Dilla by Norman F. Dexter AKA SelahVision Soul of the Brush. The painting features an image of Dilla wearing a white shirt, black cap, and gold necklace with stones embedded in the painted surface. White doves appear behind him in a sky painted in tones of red and gold. A cityscape is in the lower foreground.
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Topic
- Art
- Hip hop (Music)
- Musicians
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Norman F. Dexter AKA Selah - Soul of the Brush
- Object number
- 2015.265
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Norman F. Dexter, aka. Selah - Soul of the Brush
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Haitian Street Scene
- Created by
- Douglas, Aaron, American, 1899 - 1979
- Date
- 1938
- On ViewCulture/Fourth Floor, 4 052
- Exhibition
- Visual Art and the American Experience
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- H x W x D (Framed): 25 3/4 × 27 5/8 × 1 3/4 in. (65.4 × 70.2 × 4.4 cm)
- H x W (Unframed): 18 1/8 × 20 1/4 in. (46 × 51.4 cm)
- Description
- An oil on canvas painting by Aaron Douglas depicting a street scene in Haiti. In the foreground, three (3) women are depicted, all traveling from right to left. The two women at proper right are walking, and the third woman at center is traveling on a donkey or burro. The woman on the donkey is wearing a light blue dress and cream colored hat, and is sitting on top of a cloth or a sack. Both of the women traveling on foot are wearing dresses, with brightly colored headscarves topped with baskets balanced on their heads. At proper left, a man is emerging from an alley, wearing a light blue suit with cream colored hat. Behind the figures are colorful buildings bathed in dappled sunlight, a glimpse of colorful blue sky and puffy clouds visible in the background. At proper left there is a large building painted yellow with colorful trim around the windows, at center a garage with teal blue doors, and at proper right a stone wall with a large pine tree with gracefully drooping branches behind. The painting is signed at the lower-right corner [A. Douglas].
- Place made
- Haiti, Caribbean, Latin America, North and Central America
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Type
- paintings
- Topic
- African diaspora
- Art
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Melvin Holmes Collection of African American Art
- Object number
- 2015.267
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Aaron Douglas Foundation//Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS). Permission required for use.
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Red Beans and Rice Fleur de Lis
- Created by
- Francis, Myesha, American
- Date
- 2010
- On ViewCulture/Fourth Floor, 4 050
- Exhibition
- Cultural Expressions
- Medium
- canvas , pigment , bean
- Dimensions
- 24 × 18 1/8 × 1 1/2 in. (61 × 46 × 3.8 cm)
- Description
- Painting of a fleur-de-lis made of red beans and rice. The fleur-de-lis is featured in the center, on a multi-colored background. The fleur-de-lis is bordered in red beans with rice filling the inside. In the center is a small circle of red beans. The background of the painting is red in the top half with a dark yellow along the bottom half with detailing around the fleur-de-lis.
- Place made
- New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, North and Central America
- Cultural Place
- Haiti, Caribbean, Latin America, North and Central America
- West Africa, Africa
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Type
- paintings
- Topic
- Art
- Colonialism
- Foodways
- French colonialism
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2015.33
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Myesha Francis-Agwe. Permission required for use.
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But I'm Still Fly
- Created by
- Dr. Pecou, Fahamu, American, born 1975
- Date
- 2014
- On ViewCulture/Fourth Floor, 4 052
- Exhibition
- Visual Art and the American Experience
- Medium
- acrylic paint , copper and zinc on canvas
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 120 × 60 × 2 in. (304.8 × 152.4 × 5.1 cm)
- Description
- An acrylic painting on canvas with copper and zinc leaf. The painting depicts the lower torso and legs of a young man jumping upward. His torso and arms, mostly out of frame, are bare. He is wearing several overlapping pairs of underwear, jeans that sag to mid-thigh, and green high top shoes. The man's right hand is holding up his jeans, and his left arm is lowered by his side in a fist. Gold leaf sheets applied to the canvas surround the figure, and two (2) sheets of gold leaf are burnished on the man's figure at his hip. The gold leaf extends to cover the edges of the canvas.
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Type
- acrylic paintings
- Topic
- Art
- Fashion
- Identity
- Men
- Resistance
- Youth
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2015.69
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Fahamu Pecou. Permission required for use.
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Hoeing Corn
- Attributed to
- Hunter, Clementine, American, ca. 1886 - 1988
- Subject of
- Melrose Plantation, American, founded 1832
- Date
- 1950s
- Medium
- oil paint on fiberboard
- Dimensions
- H x W x D (Framed): 24 × 31 3/4 × 1 3/8 in. (61 × 80.7 × 3.5 cm)
- H x W x D (Unframed): 16 1/8 × 23 7/8 × 3/16 in. (41 × 60.6 × 0.4 cm)
- Description
- An oil painting depicting workers hoeing corn in rural Louisiana. At the top of the painting is a band of blue sky. Below the sky are two horizontal rows of people hoeing corn. In the top row, there are four people in between tasseled corn plants. The first figure, at left, faces right and is pushing a hand-held plow. The following three people are facing left, each holding hoes, and all are wearing hats and some wear aprons. In the second row are five people interspersed between tasseled corn plants. The first figure, at left, appears to be female. She faces right, and she is holding a container in her left hand and has a pouch on her right hip. The next two people are wearing hats and holding hoes. The fourth person is wearing a white hat and is bending over to the ground. The final person is facing to the left and pushing a hand-held plow. Behind the figures and corn plants, the background is painted in broad white brushstrokes. The painting is signed "CH" at the lower right.
- Place depicted
- Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Type
- oil paintings
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Rand and Dana Jack family, in honor of Rand's grandmother, Blythe Rand, who early recognized and supported the special talents of Clementine Hunter
- Object number
- 2014.176.4
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Cane River Art Corporation
-
Baptizing with Lady in Orange Dress
- Attributed to
- Hunter, Clementine, American, ca. 1886 - 1988
- Subject of
- Melrose Plantation, American, founded 1832
- Date
- 1960s
- Medium
- oil paint on fiberboard
- Dimensions
- H x W x D (painting): 16 × 24 × 1/4 in. (40.6 × 61 × 0.6 cm)
- H x W (framed): 22 × 33 1/2 in. (55.9 × 85.1 cm)
- Description
- An oil painting depicting a scene of pastoral life in Louisiana. A white church with green-trimmed doors and windows is featured prominently in the center of the canvas. The area behind the church is interspersed with trees, and the sky behind the church and trees is a variegation of blue, white and rose colors in broad, horizontal brushstrokes. A procession of figures walk along a prominent diagonal line leading from the church steps to the lower left-hand corner of the painting. At the head of the procession are two figures in black robes, wearing black head coverings and white collars. Behind them are five smaller figures dressed in white dresses and veils. Under the church and the procession of figures is a broad line of brown paint, separating this scene from another scene in the lower right-hand corner. In the lower scene, a woman is featured prominently at lower-center, wearing a vivid orange dress and a black hat with flowers. She is kneeling, hands clasped, next to a body of water. Two figures in black robes and head coverings and white collars are shown waist-deep in the water, holding between them a person wearing a white dress and veil. The painting is signed "CH" (but with the "C" reversed) at the bottom right, above the figures in the water.
- Place depicted
- Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Type
- oil paintings
- Topic
- American South
- Art
- Religion
- Rural life
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Rand and Dana Jack family, in honor of Rand's grandmother, Blythe Rand, who early recognized and supported the special talents of Clementine Hunter
- Object number
- 2014.176.5
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Cane River Art Corporation
-
Washday
- Attributed to
- Hunter, Clementine, American, ca. 1886 - 1988
- Subject of
- Melrose Plantation, American, founded 1832
- Date
- 1950s
- Medium
- oil paint on fiberboard
- Dimensions
- H x W x D (painting): 23 15/16 × 23 15/16 × 1/4 in. (60.8 × 60.8 × 0.6 cm)
- H x W (framed): 29 15/16 × 31 7/16 in. (76 × 79.9 cm)
- Description
- An oil painting depicting a washday scene in rural Louisiana. At the top of the painting, swaths of blue, white, grey and pink depict a partially cloudy sky. At upper-center right is a green house with a red door, red-trimmed windows, a red central chimney, and a smaller black angled chimney at the right of the roof from which smoke emerges. There are three descending diagonal lines of images across the left of the painting. The top diagonal is a line of three green-topped trees. A man sits leaning against the trunk of the central tree, holding a red object to his mouth. The next diagonal is a woman, wearing a red dress and white apron, hanging sheets and clothes on a green clothesline. To the right of the clothesline, at the center of the painting, a woman wearing a blue dress and white apron sits in a red chair. She is holding what appears to be a baby dressed in yellow. The next diagonal is another, smaller clothesline on which a pair of red socks and other blue and yellow items are hung. Across the bottom edge of the painting, almost horizontal, is a row of figures. At left is a man wearing a red hat, scarf, green shirt and black trousers wheeling a red wheelbarrow that contains a yellow sack. Next is a woman wearing a green hat, blue dress and white apron, washing clothes. Next is a woman wearing a white hat, yellow dress and white apron, heading towards a short path that leads to a large black cauldon. Last is a green tree, on the other side of which is a woman wearing a blue hat, green dress and white apron, washing clothes. The painting is signed "CH" at lower right.
- Place depicted
- Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Type
- oil paintings
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Rand and Dana Jack family, in honor of Rand's grandmother, Blythe Rand, who early recognized and supported the special talents of Clementine Hunter
- Object number
- 2014.176.7
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Cane River Art Corporation
-
Suddenly It's Spring
- Created by
- Alma Thomas, American, 1891 - 1978
- Date
- 1970
- Medium
- Painting: acrylic on canvas
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 38 × 42 1/2 × 1 3/8 in. (96.5 × 108 × 3.5 cm)
- Description
- Painting by Alma Thomas. The work is composed of small, single color blocks fit closely together, but with white space in between, like a mosaic. The colors are primarily shades of blue, with patches of yellow, red, pink, purple, and green. Medium shades of blue dominate the center, spreading out to the four corners of the canvas. At the bottom center is a small, slightly curved swath of pink and red. In the top right corner is a semi-circle of yellow and orange, with tendrils of pink and red mosaic blocks extending vertically into the blue center. Along the left side and extending horizontally into the center are blocks of green, purple and red. The work is signed and dated by the artist in the lower right corner.
- Place made
- Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Type
- paintings
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Joan Willis Holton
- Object number
- 2017.24
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Charles Thomas Lewis
-
Untitled (Wedding)
- Created by
- Hunter, Clementine, American, ca. 1886 - 1988
- Subject of
- Unidentified Man or Men
- Unidentified Woman or Women
- Date
- ca. 1970
- Medium
- oil paint on paperboard
- Dimensions
- H x W x D (painting): 7 5/8 × 7 1/4 × 1/4 in. (19.4 × 18.4 × 0.6 cm)
- H x W (framed): 13 5/8 × 14 3/4 in. (34.6 × 37.5 cm)
- Description
- This painting depicts a wedding. A bride and groom stand in the center of the image. The bride is wearing a white gown and veil, with red flowers. The groom is in all black with a white and red flower boutonniere. A third individual stands on the right side of the image, facing the bride and groom. He holds a Bible in his upraised right hand. On the left side of the image is a large white wedding cake. Green and red decorations festoon the walls. The artist has signed her initials in the bottom right corner. The 'C' in 'CH' is written backward.
- Place made
- Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Type
- oil paintings
- Topic
- American South
- Art
- Domestic life
- Families
- Folklife
- Marriage customs and rites
- Rural life
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift from the Collection of Sabra Brown Martin
- Object number
- 2017.68.10
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Cane River Art Corporation