Araña

Cristina Córdova, Araña, 2004, hand built clay and stains, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Lorne E. Lassiter and Gary P. Ferraro, 2021.59
Cristina Córdova, Araña, 2004, hand built clay and stains, overall: 27 14 × 15 18 × 9 38 in. (69.2 × 38.4 × 23.8 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Lorne E. Lassiter and Gary P. Ferraro, 2021.59

Artwork Details

Title
Araña
Date
2004
Dimensions
overall: 27 14 × 15 18 × 9 38 in. (69.2 × 38.4 × 23.8 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Lorne E. Lassiter and Gary P. Ferraro
Mediums
Mediums Description
hand built clay and stains
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure
Object Number
2021.59

Artwork Description

Cristina Córdova shapes earthly matter into mythic figures. This uncanny Araña (Spanish for spider), with its androgynous human torso on seven spindly legs, startles all sense of reality. The artist, who currently lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, grew up in Puerto Rico, where she was drawn to the prevalent icons of Catholicism—figures that bind together the contradictions of agony and ecstasy, corporeal and magical. Here, Córdova has begun a story and invites you to finish it. 


This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World, 2022

Works by this artist (1 item)

Duane Hanson, Woman Eating, 1971, polyester resin and fiberglass with oil and acrylic paints and found accessories, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2005.22A-Z
Woman Eating
Date1971
polyester resin and fiberglass with oil and acrylic paints and found accessories
Not on view

Exhibitions

Quilt featuring the portrait of a woman
This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World
May 13, 2022April 2, 2023
This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World showcases the dynamic landscape of American craft today.

More Artworks from the Collection

Claire Falkenstein, City is Man, 1941-1952, linocut, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Falkenstein Foundation, 2019.27.14, ©1997, The Falkenstein Foundation
City is Man
Date1941-1952
linocut
Not on view
Claire Falkenstein, Untitled, 1976, embossed paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Falkenstein Foundation, 2019.27.18, ©1997, The Falkenstein Foundation
Untitled
Date1976
embossed paper
Not on view
Claire Falkenstein, Mandala, 1977, lithograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Falkenstein Foundation, 2019.27.19, ©1997, The Falkenstein Foundation
Mandala
Date1977
lithograph
Not on view
Nathan Oliveira, Site with Blue and White, 1978, monotype, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Moses Lasky, 2004.32.14
Site with Blue and White
Date1978
monotype
Not on view