FILTER RESULTS
Untitled (the failure of Sylvester)
200161 x 41 1/8 x 1 3/4 in. (154.9 x 104.5 x 4.4 cm)
Lorna Simpson
United States
Object Type:
Photograph
Medium and Support:
Archival gelatin prints under Plexiglas with black vinyl lettering
Credit Line:
Marion Stratton Gould Fund
Accession Number:
2003.4
Location: Not currently on view
Artists Proofs:
1
Lorna Simpson's art defies easy explanation. Inspired by diverse sources, it contains cinematic allusions, references to popular culture, as well as personal narrative. It is intentionally complex and ambiguous. Simpson's goal is to make the viewer think and reflect - about race, about class, about gender.
Untitled (the failure of Sylvester) seems at first glance to be a random grouping of words and images. A closer look reveals that the photographs depict a woman whose face we never quite see - in four of the images, her face is deliberately obscured. Does this suggest that the African-American woman is not actually seen, and is invisible in American culture?
What is the meaning of the text? Like the images, the texts are allusions to mainstream perceptions of the African-American. The Failure of Sylvester is the title of a painting by the Ashcan artist Robert Henri. Sylvester, a young African-American and the artist's model for the painting, has fallen asleep - has 'failed' as a model.
[Gallery label text, 2004]
Untitled (the failure of Sylvester) seems at first glance to be a random grouping of words and images. A closer look reveals that the photographs depict a woman whose face we never quite see - in four of the images, her face is deliberately obscured. Does this suggest that the African-American woman is not actually seen, and is invisible in American culture?
What is the meaning of the text? Like the images, the texts are allusions to mainstream perceptions of the African-American. The Failure of Sylvester is the title of a painting by the Ashcan artist Robert Henri. Sylvester, a young African-American and the artist's model for the painting, has fallen asleep - has 'failed' as a model.
[Gallery label text, 2004]
Keywords
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Additional Images
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Exhibition List
This object was included in the following exhibitions:
- Through the Eyes of Others: African Americans in American Art 8/23/2008 - 1/6/2010
- The Power of the Female Gaze 5/19/2017 - 8/13/2017
Bibliography
This object has the following bibliographic references:
- Article Author: Pollack, Barbara. Article Title: Turning Down the Stereotypes. Article Scope: Article and reproduction. ARTnews. New York, New York: ARTnews Associates Volume Number: 101 Issue Date: September 2002`. Page Number: 136-139, illustrated on p. 137
- Article Author: Sorin, Gretchen Sullivan. Article Title: Lorna Simpson: Untitled (The Failure of Sylvester). Article Scope: Chapter and reproduction. Marjorie B. Searl, ed. Seeing America: painting and sculpture from the collection of the Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester. Rochester, NY: Memorial Art Gallery, 2006. Page Number: 290-292
- Gretchen Sullivan Sorin and Mary C. Aimonovitch. Through the Eyes of Others: African Americans and Identity in American Art. Cooperstown, NY: Fenimore Art Museum, 2008.
- Article Author: Cartwright, Derrick R.. Article Title: Robert Henri: Faces of California. Article Scope: Mention and reproduction. Robert Henri's California: Realism, Race and Region 1914-1925. Laguna Beach, CA: Laguna Art Museum, 2014. Page Number: 31, Figure Number: 26, p. 32
Portfolio List
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This object is a member of the following portfolios:
Web Links
See links to web pages and lesson plans
Seeing America Inservice
Materials from a teacher in-service presentation Spring 2008
Seeing America
Chapter on Lorna Simpson's Untitled (The Failure of Sylvester), written by Gretchen Sullivan Sorin.