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Heart On

Joan Snyder American
1975
Not on view
Composed of an assortment of unconventional materials, Heart On is a voluptuous, highly tactile painting that Snyder made at the height of her participation in the feminist movement. Sections of the canvas were cut open and, in some cases, sewn back together to resemble wounds and sutures. Created during a period of "anger and pain," the work also chronicles the artist’s "sexual awakening," as she grappled with her growing desire for women—a subject suggested by the work’s playful, provocative title. Heart On exemplifies the personal and sexual politics of Snyder’s practice while also reflecting her commitment to an aesthetic of partiality and incompletion that exposes the painting’s anatomy to view.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Heart On
  • Artist: Joan Snyder (American, born Highland Park, New Jersey, 1940)
  • Date: 1975
  • Medium: Oil, acrylic, paper, fabric, cheesecloth, papier maché, mattress batting, and thread on canvas
  • Dimensions: 72 × 96 in. (182.9 × 243.8 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Donald Rugoff, 1981
  • Object Number: 1981.199
  • Rights and Reproduction: © Joan Snyder
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

More Artwork

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My Work
Multiple artists/makers
1997
Resurrection Etching (WP1), Joan Snyder American, Photo etching, soft-ground etching, sugar lift etching, and open bite (with some sections, at left, collaged) on Arches paper
Resurrection Etching (WP1)
Joan Snyder
1978–81
Resurrection Etching (WP5), Joan Snyder American, Photo etching, soft-ground etching, sugar lift etching, open bite, aquatint, and line etching on Arches paper
Resurrection Etching (WP5)
Joan Snyder
1978–81
Resurrection Etching (WP6), Joan Snyder American, Photo etching, soft-ground etching, sugar lift etching, open bite, aquatint, line etching with collage, graphite, and watercolor on Arches paper
Resurrection Etching (WP6)
Joan Snyder
1978–81
Resurrection Etching (WP7), Joan Snyder American, Photo etching, soft-ground etching, sugar lift etching, open bite, color aquatint (from one plate), and line etching on Arches paper
Resurrection Etching (WP7)
Joan Snyder
1978–81

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