Painted in 2011, this self-portrait comes after years in which American artist Beverly McIver navigated profound loss and new responsibility following her mother’s death and her promise to care for her sister Renee, who has a developmental disability. In earlier works, Beverly often centered her mother and sister, but here she turns the gaze gently onto herself, capturing a moment of hard-won calm. She depicts herself as a mature Black woman from the shoulders up, set low in the frame against a flat orange-gold background. Her short black natural hair forms an uneven halo of dark curls, painted in thick strokes. She bows her head and lowers her eyes, so we see mostly the planes of her forehead, nose, and cheeks, modeled in patches of browns, gold, green, and rose. Her full lips, a deep brick red, press gently together. A light blue scarf wraps around her neck and spills to the right, its rough brushmarks suggesting soft folds of fabric. She wears a dark coat over a pale top. Soft, diffuse light creates gentle shifts of color that register emotion more than strict anatomy. The warm background recalls religious icons with gold tones, suggesting a quiet, almost devotional gratitude. Thick, expressive strokes refuse to smooth away age, fatigue, or complex feeling, aligning with McIver’s belief that “all of my portraits are self-portraits” and should tell the truth about a life. Created when she was an acclaimed North Carolina artist and teacher, "Truly Grateful" honors the resilience of a Black woman who has come through grief and caregiving and can finally pause, eyes closed, to acknowledge that ... despite everything ... life is still good.
"Truly Grateful" by Beverly McIver (American) - Oil on canvas / 2011 - North Carolina Museum of Art (Raleigh) #WomenInArt #BeverlyMcIver #McIver #WomensArt #WomanArtist #WomenArtists #NorthCarolinaMuseumofArt #art #ArtText #BlueskyArt #SelfPortrait #gratitude #BlackArt #ContemporaryArt #BlackArtists
