Object Record
Images
Metadata
Artist |
Delaney, Beauford |
Title |
Portrait of Delia Delaney |
Medium |
pastel on paper |
Date |
1933 |
Description |
Beauford Delaney (Knoxville 1901-1979 Paris) Portrait of Delia Delaney, 1933 Pastel on paper 31 x 30 inches Knoxville Museum of Art, 2016 purchase with funds provided by the KMA Collectors Circle with additional gifts from Barbara Apking, June and Rob Heller, Donna Kerr, Alexandra Rosen and Donald Cooney, Ted Smith and David Butler, Mimi and Milton Turner, John Cotham, Jan and Pete Crawford, Cathy and Mark Hill, Florence and Russell Johnston, John Z. C. Thomas, Donna and Terry Wertz, Jayne and Myron Ely, Sarah Stowers, Robin and Joe Ben Turner, and Jacqueline Wilson This pastel presents a bold and vibrant likeness of the artist's mother, Delia Johnson Delaney (1865-1958), the matriarch of the Delaney family who nurtured the artistic talents of her sons Beauford and Joseph, and held the family together after the death of her husband circuit preacher John Samuel Delaney in 1919. The brothers came to realize the only path to success would require them to leave home for greater opportunities in cultural centers further north. At the time of this portrait, both brothers had established studios in New York and were visiting family in Knoxville. The portrait must have been an important keepsake for Beauford, as the artist never sold it and used it as the basis for a larger yellow-toned oil portrait he created some 30 years later. While Delaney describes her distinct features and confident glance with academic precision, he transforms the background into a study of luminous color that hints at his growing interest in abstraction. |
Catalog Number |
2016.12.02 |
Search Terms |
Pastels (Visual works) Drawings Portrait drawings Portraits Women Mothers LBGTQ+ Artist |
Credit line |
purchase with funds provided by the KMA Collectors Circle with additional gifts from Barbara Apking, June and Rob Heller, Donna Kerr, Alexandra Rosen and Donald Cooney, Ted Smith and David Butler, Mimi and Milton Turner, John Cotham, Jan and Pete Crawford, Cathy and Mark Hill, Florence and Russell Johnston, John Z. C. Thomas, Donna and Terry Wertz, Jayne and Myron Ely, Sarah Stowers, Robin and Joe Ben Turner, and Jacqueline Wilson |