What initially drew me to this piece was the bold use of color and how well the palette of the piece worked together. The cool tones of the blues and greens in the background and clothing, contrasting against the warmer tones of the woman’s skin and hair create a very pleasing visual. Furthermore, the use of pattern and line throughout the piece make the whole thing flow together. The patterns lead the viewer’s eye around the piece and allow the gaze to travel and stop at each to evaluate it, leading the eye very smoothly through the piece. This paired with the soothing colors and relaxed pose of the woman gives the piece a great sense of calmness. This print is titled “Seated Woman”, done by Phyllis Sloane in 1980, it is a silkscreen on paper at approximately 25×17 inches. It features a woman sitting at a table, beside her on the table is a wicker basket and placed on top of that is a sun hat with a scarf wrapped around it. Beyond the beautiful colors and patterns in this print, the portrait of the woman and the thoughtfulness in her eyes also drew me in, especially the eyes because at first glance they do not seem significant, only upon looking closer you can see the detail and depth contained in them. Sloan was an American artist who lived from 1921-2009, she worked a lot with printmaking and experimented with many different techniques. Her oever contains an impressive variety in printmaking, consisting of etching, silkscreens, lithographs, woodcuts, linocuts, monotypes, enamels on copper, ceramic tiles, and heat transfer prints. This piece is one of many silkscreen prints done in the 1970-80s featuring images of women along with the recognizable use of bold colors and patterns. The natural female figure is the focus of much of Sloane’s work, many of her drawings and paintings portray the female figure in many different ways. Similar to the representations of the female body by women artists in the late 1800s, Sloane portrays an accurate and natural figure, rather than a sensual and posed one. When asked about her frequent depictions of women and the meaning behind it, Sloane responded simply that women were mainly available for her to paint in her direct environment. Her early work was influenced by abstract impressionism, however in the 60s she was more influenced by the pop art movement of the time, which is evident in her use of color and pattern in this piece, as well as other pieces. She was also influenced by Matisse and his use of bold blocks of color. This can be seen in her prints as well as her paintings and still lifes that she focused on later in her career.
Sources
Phyllis Sloane, American, 1921 – 2009. Seated Woman. c. 1980. Artstor, library-artstor-org.ezproxy.lib.lehigh.edu/asset/24691813
“1982 CLEVELAND ARTS PRIZE FOR VISUAL ARTS.” Phyllis Sloane, clevelandartsprize.org/awardees/phyllis_sloane.html.
“Welcome to Phyllis Sloane.” Phyllis Sloane Art, 3 Oct. 2016, phyllissloane.com/.
http://www.artoftheprint.com/artistpages/sloane_phyllis_calm.htm