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Self-Portrait

A self-portrait oil painting of American artist Archibald John Motley, Jr. He wears a white shirt, a black tie with a diamond horseshoe pin, and a brown jacket; in his left hand he holds a palette, upon which are splotches of paint arranged according to the order of the color wheel; in his right hand he holds a long, slender paintbrush. Motley’s eyes are directed towards the viewer, he has a small mustache, and his light brown skin is contrasted by the black background.
© Valerie Gerrard Browne / Chicago History Museum / Bridgeman Images

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  • A self-portrait oil painting of American artist Archibald John Motley, Jr. He wears a white shirt, a black tie with a diamond horseshoe pin, and a brown jacket; in his left hand he holds a palette, upon which are splotches of paint arranged according to the order of the color wheel; in his right hand he holds a long, slender paintbrush. Motley’s eyes are directed towards the viewer, he has a small mustache, and his light brown skin is contrasted by the black background.

Date:

c. 1920

Artist:

Archibald John Motley Jr. (American, 1891–1981)

About this artwork

Chicagoan Archibald Motley attended the School of the Art Institute at a time when many prominent art academies denied entrance to African American students. His affiliation with the school was thus of great significance to him. Around 1920, as a recent graduate, he painted a self-portrait meant to introduce him as a poised young artist, elegantly presenting himself in a dark suit jacket, crisp white shirt, and a dark tie accented by a diamond horseshoe pin. Furthermore, Motley painted this work following race riots in July 1919, which had heightened tensions in Chicago. The violence convinced him that he should use his art to influence perceptions of African Americans in a positive manner. This sophisticated self-portrait is thus an extraordinary declaration of his goals and ambitions.

Status

On loan to The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City for The Harlem Renaissance and Trans-Atlantic Modernism

Department

Arts of the Americas

Artist

Archibald John Motley Jr.

Title

Self-Portrait

Place

Chicago (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

c. 1920

Medium

Oil on canvas

Inscriptions

Signed recto, top-left corner, in brown pigment: "A. J. MOTLEY JR." No markings verso.

Dimensions

76.3 × 56 cm (30 1/8 × 22 1/8 in.)

Credit Line

Through prior acquisitions of Friends of American Art Collection; through prior bequest of Marguerita S. Ritman

Reference Number

1995.239

Copyright

© Valerie Gerrard Browne / Chicago History Museum / Bridgeman Images

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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