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Selma Burke, Untitled (Woman and Child), ca. 1950, painted red oak, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John A. Sakal and Terry L. Bengel in honor of Dr. Paul Albert Chew, Founding Director of the Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Greensburg, Pennsylvania, 2004.20
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Artwork Details
- Title
- Untitled (Woman and Child)
- Artist
- Date
- ca. 1950
- Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- overall: 47 1⁄8 x 12 3⁄4 x 11 3⁄4 in. (119.6 x 32.3 x 29.8 cm)
- Credit Line
- Gift of John A. Sakal and Terry L. Bengel in honor of Dr. Paul Albert Chew, Founding Director of the Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Greensburg, Pennsylvania
- Mediums Description
- painted red oak
- Classifications
- Keywords
- Figure group — female and child
- Object Number
- 2004.20
Artwork Description
In Selma Burke's Untitled (Woman and Child) the figures appear to materialize out of the wood, and the woman's arm and child's back merge to represent the closeness of their bond. Burke followed an African practice of selecting carving materials for their symbolic value, and chose to sculpt this scene in red oak, which embodies the strength of the figures' relationship.
Luce Object Quote
"Art didn't start black or white, it just started. There have been too many labels in this world: . . . Negro, Colored, Black, African-American . . . Why do we still label people with everything except 'children of God'?" Selma Burke, quoted in Schwalb, "Without Color," ARTnews, September 1994