<I>Self Portrait</I>
date: label: Date
content: 1930-1935
name: label: Created by
content: Earle Wilton Richardson, American, 1912 - 1935
notes: label: Caption
content: Considered a social realist artist, Earle Richardson created art to critique injustice, ennoble the lives of everyday people, and reveal the rich history of Americans of African descent. He was romantically involved with fellow Harlem Renaissance artist Malvin Gray Johnson. In 1934 they were jointly commissioned by the WPA to create a mural series for the 135th Street Branch of the New York Public Library. The mural was never completed; Johnson died suddenly from an illness that same year. In 1935 Richardson committed suicide, an act his family believed was precipitated by his immense grief.
label: Caption
content: The intense gaze and the flattened background perspective in the painting are strongly reminiscent of a similar self-portrait by Johnson, suggesting that the two men may have painted the works simultaneously.
label: Description
content: An oil on canvas self portrait of the artist. This painting depicts a young man sitting in a chair with a high curved back. Gazing directly at the viewer, he has short hair and large eyes. He wears a striped shirt. In the background behind him are several indistinct geometric shapes.
place: label: Place made
content: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Art
label: Topic
content: Identity
label: Topic
content: Men
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Visual Arts
label: Movement
content: Harlem Renaissance (New Negro Movement)
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Dr. Bobbye Booker Coleman and Mr. Jackie Coleman, in memory of Alleyne Richardson Booker
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2012.165.1
objectType: label: Type
content: oil paintings
label: Type
content: portraits
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: © Earle Richardson
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: oil on canvas
label: Dimensions
content: H x W: 20 × 17 5/8 × 3/4 in. (50.8 × 44.8 × 1.9 cm)