At the center of Moon Masque is a papier-mâché replica of a heart-shaped white Kwele mask from Zaïre surrounded by masklike profiles and designs drawn from Ethiopian textiles. Though stylized, the faces resemble actual individuals whose profiles are juxtaposed with tears falling from the eyes of the mask. It is tempting to speculate that the mask, representing heritage and tradition, weeps for the situation of contemporary African peoples.
African American Art: Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights Era, and Beyond, 2012
African American Art: Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights Era, and Beyond, 2012
- Title
-
Moon Masque
- Artist
- Date
- 1971
- Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 41 x 30 1⁄8 in. (104.1 x 76.4 cm)
- Credit Line
-
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Bequest of the artist
- Mediums
- Mediums Description
- oil and collage on canvas
- Classifications
- Highlights
- Keywords
-
- Landscape – celestial – moon
- Dress – costume – mask
- Abstract
- Object Number
-
2006.24.5
- Palette
- Linked Open Data
- Linked Open Data URI
