About the Work
Although lacking the rhinestones and glitz of her paintings, this photograph is typical of Thomas’s interest in engaging with aspects of art history and cultural identity in her art. The lounging model Clarivel, who is featured in several works by Thomas, assumes a classic pose but stares at the viewer with the self-assuredness and power present in all of Thomas’s portraits of black women.
Thomas says, “From my experience in Western art history, when you see images of black women they’re generally depicted in positions of servitude or looked at through an anthropological perspective... I was interested in whether I could change those perspectives with the art that I made.”
About the Artist
While “bling” is typically worn around the neck of musical icons such as Beyonce and Jay Z, the rhinestones and glitter of Mickalene Thomas's paintings are important to her complex exploration of womanhood and our definitions of beauty. Combining modern materials such as acrylic and enamel with art historical motifs and allusions to predecessors like Manet and Matisse, Thomas creates magnetic portraits of strong, powerful women that challenge traditional notions of beauty, gender, and race.
The success of Thomas’ balance of the iconic and contemporary is evident to anyone strolling by New York’s Museum of Modern Art, where a large painting by Thomas titled Le Déjeuner Sur L'herbe: Les Trois Femmes Noires, referencing Manet's famous work, bedecks the façade next to the museum’s acclaimed restaurant, The Modern.
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