Object number2023.34
Nocturne
Date2023
CultureAmerican
MediumAcrylic on found seed sacks with grommets
DimensionsComposition: 26 7/16 x 35 5/8 in. (67.2 x 90.5 cm)
Credit LinePurchase, gift of Mrs. Frederick Ferris Thompson, by exchange
On View
Not on viewPeriod21st c
Classification(s)
SignedOn recto, signed lower right: A. Saar
InscribedOn recto, by artist, lower right: 2023
Label TextAlison Saar is a multimedia artist who excavates personal and family memories and cultural histories associated with African American life to create layered portraits of Black womanhood. Her work subtly subverts racial stereotypes and reclaims narratives related to craft, strength, and endurance. In "Nocturne," we see a reclining woman whose hair transforms into tree branches adorned with blue bottles that fill the majority of the composition. Here Saar is referencing the centuries-old custom of hanging bottles upside down from tree branches, a practice developed in many African diasporic cultures that became especially prominent throughout the southern United States. The meaning of the bottle trees has evolved over the years, but they are most popularly viewed as protectors of the home as the bottles are said to trap evil spirits.
The background is painted with Saar’s signature deep blue acrylic directly onto an unstretched burlap seed sack. Saar’s use of natural and salvaged materials symbolically reflects the history of slavery by incorporating some of the very commodities Black people were forced to cultivate: indigo, sugar, and cotton. While the woman’s pose and translucent garment suggest her vulnerability, her facial expression and direct gaze imbue her with a sense of agency and inner strength.
DescriptionDepiction of a woman lying on her side in the grass with her hand supporting her head. She wears a sheer white dress and her hair stands upward, narrowing into five points which diverge into branches holding bottles.Terms
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