Created by
Jones, Loïs Mailou, American, 1905 - 1998
Date
1947
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
H x W (unframed): 18 × 22 in. (45.7 × 55.9 cm)
H x W x D (framed): 23 1/2 × 27 1/2 × 1 1/4 in. (59.7 × 69.9 × 3.2 cm)
Caption
Artist, designer, and professor Lois Mailou Jones was an avowed Francophile. Like many African American artists, writers, and musicians before her, she chose to live and work in Paris as a way of escaping racial oppression. She recalled, "This country [the United States] wasn’t interested in exhibiting our work or allowing any of the opportunities that white artists enjoyed." Paris represented a dream of freedom, a place where she would be "appreciated as an artist."
Jones painted this famous 13th-century French castle and tourist attraction during her second visit to Paris in 1947. It was reproduced in the artist’s book, Lois Mailou Jones: Peintures, 1937–1951.
Description
An impressionistic landscape painting of a 15th century French castle, Château d'Olhain, located near Calais in the north of France. This picturesque castle, with its bright orange-hued roof and stone walls, is positioned in the midst of a lake, which Jones depicts through shimmering reflection in the surrounding waters. Although the castle keep dominates the canvas, it is depicted off-center and to the right. The foreground focuses on a simple fence bordering the lake, and a dirt path leading to the castle's bailey (enclosed courtyard) and other ancillary buildings, possibly stables, located behind the castle. At center left, a person walks towards the village, their back to the viewer. The sky is a pale blue punctuated with a few fluffy white clouds. The canvas is signed by the artist in the lower-right hand corner, [Lois M/ Jones/ France/ 1947.].
Place depicted
Château d'Olhain, Fresnicourt-le-Dolmen, Pas-de-Calais, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France, Europe
Classification
Visual Arts
Type
oil paintings
Topic
Art
Freedom
Nature
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Dr. Gregory L. Shannon Family, Courtesy of Lois Mailou Jones Pierre-Noel Trust
Object number
2015.111
Restrictions & Rights
© Lois Mailou Jones Pierre-Noel Trust
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd598d75c3d-016a-4374-bd99-a6138077bb02

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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