Black Snake Blues
Date1994
MediumOffset lithograph on Arches paper
DimensionsImage: 21 5/16 × 29 7/8 inches (54.2 × 75.9 cm)
Sheet: 21 3/4 × 29 7/8 inches (55.2 × 75.9 cm)
Matted: 32 × 40 inches (81.3 × 101.6 cm)
MarkingsStamp on the front bottom left corner;
Watermark on the back bottom left corner: "Arches"
Credit LineMuseum purchase in honor of Courtney McNeil with Telfair Museum of Art acquisitions endowment funds.
Object number2021.7.9
Copyright© Alison Saar.
The images and text contained on this page are owned by Telfair Museums or used by the Museum with permission from the owners. Unauthorized reproduction, transmission or display of these materials is prohibited with the exception of items deemed “fair use” as defined by U.S. and international copyright laws.Label TextIn making and titling this work, Alison Saar was inspired by two blues songs: “Black Snakes Blues” by Victoria Spivey from 1926 and “Black Snake Moan” by Blind Lemon Jefferson from 1927, the latter replete with sexual innuendos and double entendres. Through this erotic portrait of a woman captured in private contemplation, Saar celebrates female sexuality, love, and desire. She recalled:
"It is unclear if the snake has replaced the woman’s lover, or removed him. The position that she is laying [in] suggests that she is reminiscing on past relationships that contained intimacy and comfort."
The woman’s vacant, white eyes may refer to the lyrics in Spivey’s song: “Left eye is jumping, flesh begins to crawl/Said my left eye is jumping, my flesh begins to crawl/Bet you my last dollar, another mule kickin’ in my stall.” By flattening the composition and bringing the entire scene to the foreground, Saar engages the viewer in a highly direct, almost disorienting manner.
Text written for 'Contemporary Spotlight: New Acquisitions from the Brandywine Workshop' on view February 4 - May 1, 2022.
