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Betye Saar

Mystic Sky with Self-Portrait, 1992

Description

Maker

  • Betye Saar, b. 1926, American
  • Robert Franklin, printer

Title

Mystic Sky with Self-Portrait

Year

1992

Medium

Color offset lithograph and collage

Dimensions

Image/sheet: 54.6 x 64.1 cm (21 1/2 x 25 1/4 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Inscribed in graphite, recto LL: A/P; LC: Mystic Sky w/ Self Portrait; LR: Betye Saar 92

Identification

State

AP

Type

  • Works on Paper,
  • Prints

Credit

Gift of the Brandywine Workshop and Archives, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Object Number

2014.66.32

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Heads Up! Recent Gifts to the Collection

July 31, 2015 - January 10, 2016

In this self-portrait, symbols from palmistry, alchemy, and tarot take center stage while a representation of the artist peers from the lower right corner. Throughout her long career, Saar has incorporated elements of occult ritual into her collages, box assemblages, and installations.

Here, the shadows surrounding the floating elements make it difficult to discern which items were collaged and which were printed. A similar ambiguity plagues Saar’s appearance; by decentering her face, she de-emphasizes her own importance, leaving room for other more liberating interpretations. Saar writes, “The stars, the cards, the mystic vigil may hold the answers. By shifting the point of view an inner spirit is released. Free to create.”

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in Copyright. This object is Mystic Sky with Self-Portrait with the accession number of 2014.66.32. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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