Melody: Back

2011

Mickalene Thomas

Associated Names
Mickalene Thomas

Artist, American, born 1971

This black-and-white photograph shows a woman in a seated position, her legs curled to the side, with her back turned to us. She looks over her right shoulder towards us, allowing us to see her face in profile. She has high cheekbones, dark, arched eyebrows, a small nose, and lips set in a neutral position. She has dark skin and long black hair that cascades down her back. She is nude, with some visible tattoos, including the outline of a large cross on her lower back. She holds a bouquet of flowers in her right hand, partially obscuring her legs. The background and the surface she sits on are covered with a variety of textiles with geometric and floral patterns all layered over one another.
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Artwork overview

More About this Artwork

In this black and white photograph, a woman wearing a black dress leans toward an arched mirror set into a wall, so we see the woman twice in this double portrait. We are situated slightly below her so we look up at the woman, who gazes down and to our right. The surface of the wall is smooth but lightly textured, like adobe. Trees reflected in the mirror indicate that this is outdoors. The woman in front of us takes up the left half of the composition. She faces our right in profile and leans to our right, at the far edge of the mirror. Her dark hair is pulled up in ribbon entwined braids. She wears long, chandelier style earrings and her high-necked black dress has puffed, lace sleeves. We see her face straight on in the mirror’s reflection. The woman’s distinctive brows knit together over her rounded nose.

Article:  15 LGBTQ+ Artists to Know

Discover the lives of 15 LGBTQ+ artists and their art, much of which you can see at the National Gallery.


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Mickalene Thomas, New York; NGA purchase (through Yancey Richardson Gallery, New York), 2020.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2022

  • Afro-Atlantic Histories, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Houston; National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2022 - 2024, unnumbered catalogue.

Inscriptions

on verso, signed by artist, bottom center in black ink: M Thomas 2011; center left: Melody Back


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