Born in 1891 into a Creole home in New Orleans and raised in Chicago, Archibald J. Motley Jr. showed a very
early talent and passion for art. When he was just 9 years old, he knew that he wanted to be an artist. He trained
at the Art Institute of Chicago, and, in 1928, became only the second black artist ever to have a one-man exhibition in New York City.

This success was achieved at the height of the Harlem Renaissance, the period during the 1920's when African-American writers, musicians and actors received encouragement and support for the first time in this country. Motley devoted himself to the portrayal of black men and women, hoping to rescue the image of African-Americans from the usual stereotyping. He believed that his paintings could promote a better understanding among white viewers of his black heritage. He said, in 1933, "It is my earnest desire and ambition to express the American Negro honestly and sincerely, neither to add nor detract, and to bring about a more sincere and brotherly understanding, between him and his white brethren."

"Mending Socks," now on view in the Charles and Isabel Eaton Gallery of the Ackland Art Museum, is Motley's
tribute to his 82-year-old grandmother, as well as being a fine narrative portrait. The objects surrounding Emily
Motley tell the story of her life. The oval portrait, at upper left, shows the mistress of the house where the child Emily lived as a slave; the portrait was given to her on the day she was freed. Below the portrait, an oil lamp and books, one of them the Bible, refer to Emily Motley's education. She was taught reading and writing along with her mistress's children, a rare privilege for a slave girl. The blue and white tablecloth which has an American Indian design refers to Emily Motley's Native American husband. Just above her head hangs a crucifix that reflects her strong religious beliefs. The brooch on her chest is a portrait of her only daughter. The mound of socks on the table, and the scissors placed atop them refer to Emily Motley's daily routine of mending the family's socks.

Motley once said that he believed art to be governed "by three words: personality, intensity and sympathy."
These qualities enrich all his work, from strong, realistic portraits like "Mending Socks" to lively genre scenes of
carnivals, cabarets, and urban street life.

Slow Down Freight Train
Rose Piper
American, born 1917
oil on canvas, 1946
Ackland Fund, 91.8
 
 

Slow Down Freight Train was directly inspired by Trixie Smith's recording of "Freight Train Blues." The song's
lyrics expressed the feelings of many African Americans affected in the early decades of this century by the
widespread migration of black men from the south to the industrial north. Men could obtain jobs in Chicago's
meatpacking industry or Detroit's automobile factories, but they usually had to leave their wives or girlfriends
behind.

Piper says that the title of her painting is "...a women's plea for the train to slow down so that she might go along
with her man." Like most of Piper's work, the subject of the Ackland painting is rooted in the African American
experience.

The abstract, geometric style of this early work reveals a cubist influence and Piper's solid grounding in
modernist techniques from her studies at Hunter College and the Art Students League.

She writes eloquently of her early work, saying that her forms are affected by "...powerful passions and
anguished recollections of the black experience. The abstraction of the human figure...arises out of a single
moment of heightened expression. The attenuated form suggests the essence of longing."

In 1948 Rose Piper won first prize in an exhibition sponsored by Atlanta University which included works by
such artists as Jacob Lawrence and Romare Bearden. Despite this early success as a painter, Piper set aside
her brush because of family responsibilities and began work as a textile designer.

She returned to painting in 1980, and the smaller scale and more meticulous technique of her recent painting
shows the influence of her experiences as a designer. The subject matter of these later works is still based on
the African American experience, however, and Piper still often finds inspiration in music.

Flemish VIII
Al Held
American born 1928

acrylic on canvas
Ackland Fund, 76.3.1

Artists in the 60's, 70's and 80's were interested in space and geometry.  People often say this painting reminds them of "science" or "math".  Held was interested in sixteenth century Flemish art and the paintings of Vermeer    Vermeer Link  (when you get to this web site, type in "Vermeer" in the artist block) .  Flemish VIII  reflects the precision and geometry of those sixteenth century artists.