Double Portrait of the Artist in Time

Helen Lundeberg, Double Portrait of the Artist in Time, 1935, oil on fiberboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1978.51
Helen Lundeberg, Double Portrait of the Artist in Time, 1935, oil on fiberboard, 47 3⁄4 x 40 in. (121.3 x 101.6 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1978.51

Artwork Details

Title
Double Portrait of the Artist in Time
Artist
Date
1935
Location
Dimensions
47 3⁄4 x 40 in. (121.3 x 101.6 cm.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on fiberboard
Classifications
Subjects
  • Portrait female — Lundeberg, Helen — self-portrait
  • Occupation — art — printmaker
  • Occupation — art — painter
  • Object — furniture — clock
  • Object — flower
  • Portrait female — Lundeberg, Helen — full length
  • Portrait female — Lundeberg, Helen — child
  • Architecture Interior — domestic — house
  • Allegory — time
  • Allegory — life
Object Number
1978.51
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1978.51

Artwork Description

In Double Portrait, Helen Lundeberg incorporated different figures and objects to symbolize the stages of her life. The time on the clock represents the child’s age of two and a quarter, and the blank paper suggests her unknown future. She holds a flower bud to emphasize her undeveloped state, whereas the adult figure holds a blooming flower to show that she has experienced sex and love. Lundeberg connected the young girl to the grown woman with a shadow to suggest that the two parts of her life are “psychologically bridged.” The subdued tones and flat colors create a mysterious world where the shadow hovers like a ghost over the shoulders of both figures.

Works by this artist (2 items)

David Wilkie, Edward Finden, Sheep Washing, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Nigel Cholmeley-Jones, 1967.14.146
Sheep Washing
Artist
Not on view
Edward Finden, H. Thompson, Slave, 1828, engraving on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Nigel Cholmeley-Jones, 1967.14.49
Slave
Artist
Date1828
engraving on paper
Not on view

Audio

Stop 177: Double Portrait of the Artist in Time

Double Portrait of the Artist in Time
1861, oil on canvas

HELEN LUNDEBERG
Born: Chicago, Illinois 1908– Died: Los Angeles, California 1999

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