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 (3 items)

Sidney Gross, Refugees, pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the Evander Childs High School, Bronx, New York through the General Services Administration, 1975.83.105
Refugees
pencil on paper
Not on view
Sidney Gross, The New City, 1945, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the Evander Childs High School, Bronx, New York through the General Services Administration, 1975.83.4
The New City
Date1945
oil on canvas
Not on view
Sidney Gross, Men and Trees, 1937, pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the Evander Childs High School, Bronx, New York through the General Services Administration, 1975.83.104
Men and Trees
Date1937
pencil on paper
Not on view

More Artworks from the Collection

Joseph Hardin, Untitled (figure at Table, View of Legs), ca. 1978, colored pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 1997.124.111
Untitled (figure at Table, View of Legs)
Dateca. 1978
colored pencil on paper
Not on view
William Zorach, (Untitled--Child's Head), 1925, pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift from the collection of the Zorach children, 1976.145.8
(Untitled – Child’s Head)
Date1925
pencil on paper
Not on view
Michael Clark, Classic Series, 1970, pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Fendrick, 1980.131.3
Classic Series
Date1970
pencil on paper
Not on view
Study for the Pushover
Date1981
pencil on paper
Not on view