Figure in Black (Girl with Stripes)

Robert Motherwell, Figure in Black (Girl with Stripes), 1947, oil and paper on fiberboard, 23 ⁷⁄₈ x 19 ³⁄₄ in. (60.7 x 50.2 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Dedalus Foundation and museum purchase, 1995.2.1, © 1994 Dedalus Foundation, Inc.

Artwork Details

Title: Figure in Black (Girl with Stripes)
Artist: Robert Motherwell
Date: 1947
Location: Not on view
Dimensions: 23 ⁷⁄₈ x 19 ³⁄₄ in. (60.7 x 50.2 cm.)
Copyright: © 1994 Dedalus Foundation, Inc.
Credit Line: Gift of the Dedalus Foundation and museum purchase
Mediums: paper
oil
Mediums Description: oil and paper on fiberboard
Classifications: Painting
Subjects: Figure female
Abstract
Object Number: 1995.2.1
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1995.2.1

Artwork Description

The black stripes at the right of Figure in Black (Girl with Stripes) can be read as long, painted strokes executed by a figure who looks directly out at the viewer. In it Motherwell asserts the primal act of the artist and links the simple black stick figure with prehistoric painters who applied marks to the walls of ancient caves. In 1947 Motherwell remarked that all the figures in his paintings were self-portraits, and he related the color ochre to his childhood in Southern California. “Certain childhood impressions last a lifetime. …The color I’ve consistently used throughout my painting life has been yellow ochre, and the hills of California most of the year are yellow ochre.”

Modern Masters: Midcentury Abstraction from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2008