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Untitled (Black Elephant with a Brown Ear)

Folk and Self-Taught Art

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Untitled (Black Elephant with a Brown Ear)

Artwork Details

Artist/Maker

Bill Traylor
American, 1854–1949

Date

ca. 1939–1940

Medium

Poster paint and pencil on paper

Accession #

1997.113

Dimensions

14 5/8 x 25 3/4 inches

Location

Currently Not on View

Description

Traylor’s dynamic use of line is eloquent in the subtle dorsal curve of an elephant. Supple undulations add energy to this portrait of a calm but powerful beast. The repetition of ovals in the bulbous tail tip and feet establishes a rhythm that is interrupted by the color of the dainty oval ear, whose startling brownness draws the viewer’s eye into contact with that of the animal.

Credit

T. Marshall Hahn Collection

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