Porgy and Bess, embracing
Date2013
MediumLithograph on Somerset paper
DimensionsSheet: 15 × 18 inches (38.1 × 45.7 cm)
Portfolio/Series"Porgy & Bess" portfolio
Credit LineMuseum purchase with funds provided by the Gari Melchers Collectors' Society in honor of Courtney McNeil.
Object number2021.13.2.2
Copyright© Kara Walker.
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 TextThese lithographs were made in conjunction with the Porgy and Bess libretto. In these prints, Kara Walker has singled out key moments in the story, like the couples’ vigorous embrace as they affirm their love. Walker is renowned for her paper silhouettes of the pre-Civil War South that subvert the associations of delicacy and respectability with the art form. Here, the artist revisits the profile, creating shadowy figures that emphasize silhouettes’ role in conveying stereotypes. By rubbing, the artist gestures to the method of creating lithographs, which require various stages of rubbing and pressing; in this, she also suggests that the laborious, chemical process of lithography supports the necessary interrogation, unpacking, and excavating of the multi-layered history that hides beneath the outlines.Subject MatterCharleston, South Carolina, United States of America
