Lady of the Lake
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
- 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
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