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The Essential Art of African Textiles: Design Without End
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Seydou Keïta (Malian, 1921(?)–2001)
Untitled [Seated Woman with Chevron Print Dress], 1956, print 1997
Gelatin silver print; 20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 60.96 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Joseph and Ceil Mazer Foundation Inc. Gift, 1997 (1997.364)
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The leaf-patterned cloth backdrop was used by Keïta for sittings throughout 1956. Its striking juxtaposition with the sitter's printed dress plays her aesthetic against the photographer's pictorial conceit. In this instance while both fabrics feature a repeating pattern defined in white against a dark background, the leaves appear to float randomly in space, whereas the woman's chevrons are aligned as diagonals that suggest forward momentum. Keïta artfully arranged the dress and the engaging turning pose to exploit these inherent graphic possibilities.
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