How would you describe the woman in this painting? What might her body language suggest about her or

How would you describe the woman in this painting? What might her body language suggest about her or what she is thinking? In this painting, we see a woman who has a folded hand placed over her hip, and the other is grasping a bouquet. Her body language suggests she is relaxed and confident. Her head is turned to the right, her eyes looking away from the viewer to somewhere beyond the canvas, and her mouth lifts into a smile or maybe a smirk. She wears a royal blue dress with a flower pattern and a long gold necklace; her outfit reminds me of being dressed in one’s “Sunday best.” Think about what you might wear if you were to have your portrait painted. What would you choose and why? How can clothing help lend someone confidence?Who is this woman in the painting? We don’t know her name or who she was, but she is most likely a woman that the artist, an African American woman named Laura Wheeler Waring, met while living in Philadelphia. Waring was a prominent artist of the Harlem Renaissance, an artistic explosion of African American creativity and innovation centered in Harlem, New York. Although she began her artistic career painting landscapes and still lifes, Waring is best known for the many portraits she painted throughout her lifetime. Her subjects included such prominent civil rights activists and leaders as W.E.B. DuBois, James Weldon Johnson, and Mary White Ovington; such portraits showcased the undeniable accomplishments and dignity of African Americans, and they are often viewed as part of the way in which Waring participated in the early Civil Rights Movement.  Though this painting was completed slightly after the Harlem Renaissance era, it continued to engage with its legacies of African American pride in Black life, culture, and identity, all of which challenged prominent racial stereotypes. Waring’s own paintings, such as this one, countered these stereotypes by portraying working class African Americans as dignified and sophisticated.Take another look at this painting. What artistic choices contribute to a sense of dignity? What clues are there about the woman’s identity? What details might demonstrate the portrait subject’s own agency? Share your thoughts in the comments and explore works related to the Harlem Renaissance in our collection.Posted by Alejandra Chino, A.R.T. GuideLaura Wheeler Waring (American, 1887–1948). Woman with Bouquet, circa 1940. Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Museum Fund for African American Art in honor of Teresa A. Carbone⁠ -- source link

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