Created by
Johnson, Sargent Claude, American, 1888 - 1967
Date
1938-1940
Medium
varnished terracotta
Dimensions
10 x 6 x 7 in. (25.4 x 15.2 x 17.8 cm)
Caption
Sargent Claude Johnson’s multifaceted work reflected the aesthetic sensibilities of the New Negro movement and the Mexican mural movement, as well as early American abstraction. Although Johnson is most often celebrated for his works reflecting African and African American figurative subject matter, by the late 1930s he became a participant in America’s burgeoning abstract expressionist style.
The sleek form and gently undulating movement of Dancer is sculpted in the biomorphic or organic style popular in Europe and the United States during the 1930s and 1940s. It is characterized by rounded abstract forms that are based on shapes found in the natural world.
Description
An abstract varnished terracotta sculpture, made of deep red-brown terracotta clay with occasional black and brown flecks from inclusions within the clay. Rising from a curvilinear dark wood base, the sculpture incorporates a rounded, twisting form that curves in an 'S' shape. The 'S' shape intersects with a rounded trianguloid shape that together flow into a rounded form with a swooping wing.
Place made
San Francisco, California, United States, North and Central America
Classification
Visual Arts
Movement
Harlem Renaissance (New Negro Movement)
Type
sculpture
Topic
Art
Dance
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2013.164
Restrictions & Rights
Unknown – Restrictions Possible
Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd590a4c33f-ac3a-49f6-b780-6fb418cb968e

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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