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Archibald J. Motley Jr. (American, 1891–1981) • Mending Socks • 1924 #juneteenth #art #fineart #ArchibaldMotley #arthistory #painting #African-AmericanArtist #MuseumArt #OilPainting #Early20thCenturyAmericanArt #AmericanArt #artwork
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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
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Harlem Renaissance
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Portrait of My Grandmother (1922)
By Archibald Motley
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#art #painting #oilpainting #harlemrenaissance #archibaldmotley #artistsofcolour #arthistory #grandmothers
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Cocktails
Archibald Motley
Around 1926
#art #cocktials #archibaldmotley #americanartist #africanamericanartist #harlemrenaissance
Cocktails collections.mfa.org/objects/3564...
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The portrait and genre-scene painter Archibald Motley Jr. made a series of three works that portray African American women based on their Creole racial classifications, including The Octoroon Girl, the most famous, as well as A Mulatress (1924) and The Quadroon (1927). The sitter in The Octoroon Girl, as in the sister paintings, remains nameless. She is only identified by her race, which is one-eighth Black which is the reference for the title. She is an elegant young woman seated on a sofa against a maroon wall. Drawing on his academic training, Motley here creates a perfectly balanced composition. The sitter, off center, stares directly at the viewer, offset by the gold frame in the upper left and the table with books on the lower right. Motley demonstrates his mastery of texture in his depiction of her stylish dress, hat, and leather gloves. Her clear, steady gaze conveys a sense of confidence, composure, and dignity. Her elegance, wealth, and privilege are also evidenced by her fine jewelry. Almost indistinguishable from any white American, this woman embodies the ideals of timeless beauty and elegance. Born into a mixed-race family, Motley was raised in New Orleans and Chicago and experienced firsthand how these complex classifications determined social status and privilege. Archibald Motley Jr., like so many artists during the Harlem Renaissance, wanted to create images that highlighted the fullness of the Black experience while drawing attention to issues facing the community. He accomplished this aim beautifully through this elegant portrait that brings race, gender, and class into conversation, while reflecting his own background within the nuanced system of racial identity practiced in New Orleans.
The Octoroon Girl by Archibald J. Motley Jr. (American) - Oil on canvas / 1925 - Nasher Museum of Art (Durham, North Carolina) #womeninart #nashermuseum #motley #portrait #painting #ArchibaldMotley #art #womensart #fineart #oilpainting #americanart #artwork #portraitofawoman #HarlemRenaissance
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