#ArchibaldJohnMotleyJr.

Self-Portrait, (1920)

This is one of two insightful portraits American artist Archibald Motley painted of his paternal grandmother, Emily Sims Motley. Motley’s studio was next to her bedroom in the family’s home, and she played an important part in his life. Born into slavery in Kentucky, Emily and her husband (also named Archibald) spent much of their lives in Assumption Parish, Louisiana, where the artist’s father was born. She lived with her family in Chicago beginning in the 1910s including when this was painted. Prior to emancipation after the Civil War, E. E. Kittredge owned Emily, her husband, and several other slaves with the surname Motley. Emily’s maiden name, Sims, points to the woman depicted in the oval painting within this painting. She is Emma Kittredge Sims, daughter of E. E. Kittredge and Emily Sims Motley’s “former mistress.” According to scholars, Motley’s inclusion of the portrait of Emma Kittredge Sims is very revealing; it is abruptly cropped at the center, and the brushwork in her portrait is loose and broadly-treated compared to the meticulous brushwork of his grandmother. By depicting these women so differently, Motley establishes a spatial and historical distance from slavery He doesn’t present the harshness of his grandmother’s life as a slave, but instead seems to offer a sentimental memory. The portrait within a portrait also shows his skillful ability to demonstrate different brush styles in one artwork Motley surrounded his octogenarian grandmother with her favorite things: a red shawl fastened with a brooch that had been hand-painted by her daughter; a silver bowl filled with apples, grapes, and bananas; and the family Bible. By including these objects, the artist stated that he hoped to “inject” her personality into the portrait, relating her kindness, piety, and conservatism. His sentimental connection with his grandmother appealed to a broad audience as the painting was voted “the most liked painting” when displayed in the Newark Museum in 1927.

Mending Socks by Archibald John Motley Jr. (American) - Oil on canvas / 1924 - Ackland Art Museum (Chapel Hill, North Carolina) #womeninart #art #oilpainting #AmericanArt #ArchibaldJohnMotleyJr #artwork #AfricanAmericanArt #AcklandArtMuseum #UNC #AfricanAmericanArtist #womensart #ArchibaldMotley