Brown Girl After the Bath, 1931

Brown Girl After the Bath, 1931

Archibald J. Motley

In his work Brown Girl After the Bath, Motley revisited his origins of portraiture, yet his approach was seasoned according to his new objective of allowing African Americans to see themselves as an artistic center. He wanted an audience both black and white to whom he could show the richness and diversity of black culture, in hopes that whites would abandon their racial prejudice and develop an appreciation for African American contributions. In this work, he explores the black body as an artistic center through the nude portrayal of a young woman. She is seated at an elegant vanity adorned with an ornate vase and lamp. Her eyes establish contact with the viewer who seems almost to be an intruder disrupting a process of deep introspection. Here, Motley consciously constructs an appreciation of and homage to black beauty. The girl represents the notion of seeking self-identification within one’s skin, an idea common within the Black Atlantic. Motley portrays the young woman poised, with quiet innocence and purity. As a result, black beauty is depicted as an entity that is innocent, unthreatening, and capable of sophistication and style.

Archibald J. Motley

Katie Ramseur