Self-Portrait with Banjo

Jimmy Lee Sudduth, Self-Portrait with Banjo, 1986, mixed media: mud, paint, and vegetable matter on board, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 1997.124.40
Jimmy Lee Sudduth, Self-Portrait with Banjo, 1986, mixed media: mud, paint, and vegetable matter on board, 4925 14 in. (124.564.1 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 1997.124.40

Artwork Details

Title
Self-Portrait with Banjo
Date
1986
Dimensions
4925 14 in. (124.564.1 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment
Mediums Description
mixed media: mud, paint, and vegetable matter on board
Classifications
Subjects
  • African American
  • Occupation — art — painter
  • Portrait male — Sudduth, Jimmy Lee — self-portrait
  • Portrait male — Sudduth, Jimmy Lee — full length
  • Object — musical instrument — banjo
Object Number
1997.124.40

Artwork Description

Jimmy Lee Sudduth starts his mud paintings by drawing the outline with a “dye-rock,” a soft stone sometimes used by Native Americans to paint their skin. He then fills in the shapes with a mixture of mud, sugar, and paint, and rubs leaves and berries over the top for more color. (Chuck and Jan Rosenak, Museum of American Folk Art Encyclopedia, 1990) Sudduth uses the sugar so that the mud will harden, and sometimes even adds honey or Coca Cola to the mixture. (Nancy Callahan, “Plywood for his canvas, turnip greens for paint, old houses as subject,” The Christian Science Monitor, July 23, 1980) In this image, he applied only three colors to create a vibrant self-portrait. The deep blue of the background and the bright white of the figure’s clothing emphasize the rich, earthy tones of the mud he used to “paint” his skin.

Works by this artist (1 item)

Stephen Jepson, Jar with Lid, ca. 1975, stoneware, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1975.123A-B
Jar with Lid
Dateca. 1975
stoneware
Not on view

More Artworks from the Collection

Irmgard Mezey, Bowl, ca. 1975, stoneware with feldspathic glaze, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1975.126
Bowl
Dateca. 1975
stoneware with feldspathic glaze
Not on view
William Wilhelmi, Teacup, 1975, wax resist stoneware, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1975.133.4
Teacup
Date1975
wax resist stoneware
On view
Frank Boyden, Tom Coleman, Turban (Heron) Vessel, 1986, stoneware, manganese slip, and copper luster, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Smithsonian Women's Committee, 1988.22
Turban (Heron) Vessel
Date1986
stoneware, manganese slip, and copper luster
On view
Roger D. Corsaw, Jar, 1968, glazed stoneware, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1997.92.1
Jar
Date1968
glazed stoneware
Not on view