Object Details
Artist
Ellis Wilson, born Mayfield, KY 1899-died New York City 1977
Exhibition Label
A lush jungle of flowering tobacco plants provides the backdrop for a family of field hands who walk in frieze-like procession along a rough dirt path. The hoes and head coverings convey the nature of their toil in the heat of a late summer sun, yet their upright postures and steady gait suggest liveliness. Faces are hidden in shadow and bodies are defined by unmodulated shapes of the brightly colored clothing. Field Workers speaks eloquently to the condition of a particular family's life -- and by extension to the lives of all who toil on the land.
African American Art: Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights Era, and Beyond, 2016
Credit Line
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation
Date
ca. 1948-1951
Object number
1967.57.31
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Painting
Medium
oil on fiberboard: masonite
Dimensions
29 3/4 x 34 7/8 in. (75.5 x 88.6 cm.)
See more items in
Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
Department
Painting and Sculpture
Data Source
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Topic
Occupation\farm
Landscape\farm
Figure group\family
African American
Dress\accessory\hat
Landscape\road\path
Landscape\plant\tobacco
Object\tool\hoe
Link to Original Record
Record ID
saam_1967.57.31