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Lady of the Lake

Horace Pippin American
ca. 1936–39
Not on view
A self-taught painter from Pennsylvania, Pippin started making art at thirty-seven, and later became one of the most recognized African American artists in the country. Based loosely on Arthurian legend, Lady of the Lake is his lone painting of a female nude. She takes the form of a sunbather at the edge of the water, sitting with her face held up to the light and next to a log cabin that appears too small to accommodate her. The cabin, canoe, Indigenous-style blanket, rose trellis, bricolage planters, and lush, mountainous landscape suggest that Pippin mined resources close to home to build the composition.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Lady of the Lake
  • Artist: Horace Pippin (American, West Chester, Pennsylvania 1888–1946 West Chester, Pennsylvania)
  • Date: ca. 1936–39
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 20 1/2 × 36 in. (52.1 × 91.4 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Bequest of Jane Kendall Gingrich, 1982
  • Object Number: 1982.55.1
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

More Artwork

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Chairs, Horace Pippin American, Oil on canvas
Chairs
Horace Pippin
1946
Family Supper, Horace Pippin American, Oil on canvas
Family Supper
Horace Pippin
1946
Sleepers, Horace Pippin American, Oil on canvas board
Sleepers
Horace Pippin
1943
Victorian Interior I, Horace Pippin American, Oil on canvas
Victorian Interior I
Horace Pippin
1945
After Supper, Horace Pippin American, Graphite on board
After Supper
Horace Pippin
ca. 1935–39

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