ROSELAND
Malcah Zeldis (b. 1931)
“Self and Subject” explores issues of identity and self-awareness as expressed in portraits by contemporary self-taught artists. Portraiture is among the earliest and most persistent of art forms to cross culture, time, and space. Art historians have, for centuries, tried to understand this complex genre in which purpose and meaning change through context.
Portraits, with the lure of the sitter’s gaze, engage the viewer in a dynamic relationship with both artist and subject. Although the early documentary function of painted portraiture was superseded by the introduction of photography, the art of capturing a likeness in a variety of media continues into the twenty-first century. A portrait may be intended to represent an actual person, but a physical likeness is not an absolute requirement and may, in fact, reveal more of a subject’s personality or stature than specific facial characteristics. Artists often probe beneath the surface to expose a sitter’s internal character. Sometimes a portrait functions as a mask, revealing only what the artist wishes others to see. In the process, the artist may also reveal a bit of himself or herself.
The Artist and his Model
Morris Hirshfield (1872–1946)
Brooklyn, New York
1945
Oil on canvas
44 x 34 in.
American Folk Art Museum, gift of David L. Davies, 2002.23.1
© Robert and Gail Rentzer for Estate of Morris Hirshfield; licensed by VAGA, New York; photo by Charles Bechtold
Portrait of Frank Peters
Joseph Aulisio (1910–1974)
Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
1965
Oil on Masonite
27 1/4 x 19 1/2 in.
American Folk Art Museum, gift of Arnold Fuchs, 1978.8.1
Roseland
Malcah Zeldis (b. 1931)
New York City
1977
Acrylic on canvas
30 x 40 in.
American Folk Art Museum, gift of the artist, 1978.7.1
Possum Trot Figure: Lilly
Calvin Black (1903–1972) and Ruby Black (1915–1980)
Yermo, California
c. 1953–1969
Paint on redwood with wig and satin dress
34 x 11 1/2 x 6 in.
American Folk Art Museum, gift of Elizabeth Johnson, 1985.35.5
Fay Wray as Diane Templeton
Stephen Warde Andersen (b. 1953)
Rockford, Illinois
1990
Pastel over tempera on shade cloth over hardboard
14 x 11 in.
American Folk Art Museum, gift of Jacqueline Loewe Fowler, 1995.11.1
Untitled
Eugene Von Bruenchenhein (1910–1983)
Milwaukee
c. 1940s–mid-1950s
Hand-tinted gelatin silver print
7 x 5 in.
American Folk Art Museum, gift of Lewis and Jean Greenblatt, 2001.23.5
Photo by Gavin Ashworth
Support for “Self and Subject” has been provided by Just Folk/Susan Baerwald and Marcy Carsey.
