Untitled (Fang Sculpture, Crow and Fruit)
Brooklyn Museum photograph
Object Label
Beauford Delaney arranged this still-life composition as if it were an offering to the Fang reliquary figure (a ritual object used by Fang peoples from central West Africa) seen on the right. The artist’s vivid colors and energetic brushwork create a sense of vibration—the bowl almost appears to spin, and the figure to rock. Delaney may have seen traditional African art at the Primitive African Art Center in Manhattan or at the Brooklyn Museum.
Caption
Beauford Delaney American, 1901–1979. Untitled (Fang Sculpture, Crow and Fruit), 1945. Oil on canvas, 25 x 30 in. (63.5 x 76.2 cm) frame: 32 x 37 x 4 in. (81.3 x 94 x 10.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Museum Fund for African American Art in honor of Arnold Lehman, A. Augustus Healy Fund and Ella C. Woodward Memorial Fund, 2014.73. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 2014.73_PS9.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Artist
Title
Untitled (Fang Sculpture, Crow and Fruit)
Date
1945
Medium
Oil on canvas
Classification
Dimensions
25 x 30 in. (63.5 x 76.2 cm) frame: 32 x 37 x 4 in. (81.3 x 94 x 10.2 cm)
Signatures
Signed and dated lower left: "Beauford Delaney / 45"
Credit Line
Brooklyn Museum Fund for African American Art in honor of Arnold Lehman, A. Augustus Healy Fund and Ella C. Woodward Memorial Fund
Accession Number
2014.73
Rights
© artist or artist's estate
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Frequent Art Questions
What's the statue here?
This is a work by Beauford Delaney. That scupture is a reference to the Fang peoples of Cameroon.It's a guardian figure that is thought to embody spiritual powers and connection to ancestors. Delaney himself was not from Africa but he was likely moved by a renewed interest in African culture spurred by the Harlem Renaissance. You might notice that the guardian figure, as well as the bird, has notes of black, red, green, and gold. These are references to the colors of the Pan-African flag.This work has such interesting textures!
Absolutely! Delaney was interested in conveying emotion through color and brushstroke. This painting is so very different from earlier still life paintings in American art, which tried to show the objects as realistically as possible.The sculpture in this painting is based on Fang reliquary figures. We have similar sculptures in our African Art collections here at the Museum.
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