Reclining Woman

1975

Not on view

Here, a woman leans sideways on a lavish checkered textile that contrasts with the bold arabesque pattern of the vertical backdrop. This reclining pose recurs in several works throughout the exhibition. While Western viewers often associate it with the archetype of the odalisque from nineteenth-century Orientalist paintings, the pose in fact echoes one that would be regularly adopted across West Africa by women at home while entertaining guests at both formal and informal occasions. Rather than suggesting sensuality, the self-assured posture is one that allows the sitter to display her elegant outfit and express her sociability.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

Title: Reclining Woman
Artist: Seydou Keïta (Malian, Bamako ca. 1921–2001 Paris)
Date: 1975
Geography: Mali, Bamako
Medium: Gelatin silver print
Dimensions: H. 5 1/8 × W. 7 1/2 in. (13 × 19 cm)
Classification: Paper-Photographs
Credit Line: Gift of Susan Mullin Vogel, 2015
Object Number: 2015.499.2.2
Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing

More Artwork

By Seydou Keïta

In the same medium

From the same time and place

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Untitled, Seydou Keïta Malian, Gelatin silver print — Untitled
Seydou Keïta
1956–57, printed 1995

Two Men with Wrist Watches, Seydou Keïta Malian, Gelatin silver print — Two Men with Wrist Watches
Seydou Keïta
1975

Young Woman Seated in Apple Print Dress, Seydou Keïta Malian, Gelatin silver print — Young Woman Seated in Apple Print Dress
Seydou Keïta
1975

Three Girls in Matching Dresses, Seydou Keïta Malian, Gelatin silver print — Three Girls in Matching Dresses
Seydou Keïta
1975

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