Dreams No. 2

Jacob Lawrence, Dreams No. 2, 1965, tempera on fiberboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1986.6.95
Copied Jacob Lawrence, Dreams No. 2, 1965, tempera on fiberboard, 35 3424 in. (90.861.0 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1986.6.95

Artwork Details

Title
Dreams No. 2
Date
1965
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
35 3424 in. (90.861.0 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation
Mediums
Mediums Description
tempera on fiberboard
Classifications
Subjects
  • Ceremony — wedding
  • Fantasy
  • African American
  • Figure female — full length
  • State of being — phenomenon — dream
  • Object — furniture — chair
  • Architecture Interior — detail — window
Object Number
1986.6.95

Artwork Description

Jacob Lawrence was inspired by the women in his Harlem neighborhood. Like his own mother, they worked hard to support their families and survived on very little money. In this painting a girl rests on a chair in front of two large windows. In one, a tall, elegant lady stands with a bouquet of flowers and in the other, a bride and groom dance and throw confetti. Windows and doorways were focal points of New York's brownstone neighborhoods, creating a link to life on the streets outside. But the bride and groom are clearly in a landscape beyond the city, and in this sense the windows have become screens onto which the young woman projects her fantasies.

Exhibitions

Media - 1986.6.100 - SAAM-1986.6.100_2 - 135134
Modern American Realism: Highlights from the Sara Roby Foundation Collection
This exhibition presents some of the most treasured paintings and sculpture from SAAM’s permanent collection, including artworks by Will Barnet, Isabel Bishop, Paul Cadmus, Edward Hopper, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Jacob Lawrence, George Tooker, among others.