Tides in a Man’s Life

Copied Beatrice Wood, Tides in a Man's Life, ca. 1988, earthenware, 11 1⁄2 x 5 1⁄2 in. (29.3 x 14.0 cm) diam., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Kenneth R. Trapp in honor of Shelby M. Gans on the occasion of her appointment to the Board of Commissioners of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 1996.82, © 1988, Beatrice Wood

Artwork Details

Title
Tides in a Man’s Life
Artist
Date
ca. 1988
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
11 1⁄2 x 5 1⁄2 in. (29.3 x 14.0 cm) diam.
Copyright
© 1988, Beatrice Wood
Credit Line
Gift of Kenneth R. Trapp in honor of Shelby M. Gans on the occasion of her appointment to the Board of Commissioners of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
Mediums
Mediums Description
earthenware
Classifications
Subjects
  • Allegory — life — manhood
  • Figure group — nude
Object Number
1996.82
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1996.82

Artwork Description

Tides in a Man’s Life shows the three stages of a man’s struggle to the top of Beatrice Wood’s sculpture. At first, he is shown unsuccessfully trying to climb the tall base of the sculpture. He then reappears being helped up by a woman, while the third and final stage shows him standing triumphantly atop the golden ring. Wood first began making these stick figures in the 1940s, and she did not want to define them as specific people but rather used them to focus on issues of gender.