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Part of: Telling Stories: The Rhetoric and Representation of Race and Ethnicity (22 resources )
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Spooky UMMA

Copyright
All Rights Reserved
Created by
Alexandra Carey
Last Updated
February 2, 2022 8:46 p.m.

35 Items in this Learning Collection
Le pinchet noir et la tête de mort (Black Pitcher and Death's Hand)

Collection Object
Paper Collage with Slide Projection
This sculptural mixed-media consists of three long, narrow panels supporting plexiglass elements. The first has transparent plexiglass with brown geometric shapes on it as well as broken glass or plexiglass rods, and painted blue, green, and red dashed lines on the plexiglass. The second, shorter panel is black and glossy with six black matte squares on it. Red, orange, green, and blue abstract shapes are layered underneath the squares. The third, narrower, panel is transparent with eight square sections, some covered with an opaque material. There are also abstract designs that are primarily black, with some green and orange.
Collection Object
Le Poisson
This color lithograph shows an orange fish encased in a wide halo of blue ink which is, in turn, encased in a border of purple ink, with light grey showing through from behind the purple and blue. On the left is a gridded orange circular shape encased in the same borders. 
Collection Object
Calavera Maderista
A figure of a skeleton wearing a hat, scarf, pants and sandals walking towards the left side of the image. He has a mustache and carries a bottle.
Collection Object
Ah Puch
Bust of a figure from the chest up in three-quarters pose. The head, or perhaps a mask, is white, resembling a skull with a halo of white hair. The neck is dark brown with two white bands like chokers around it, perhaps securing the mask. The figure wears a dark red garment that is trimmed in ornate lace in white and gold. The background is a deep teal green-blue.
Collection Object
Sunset Corner
A vast surface of orange yields in the very bottom of the painting to a swath of yellow, under which there is a line of white and green, and under that a thin black line.
Collection Object
Number 3, from "Numbers"
The number "3" in orange in a blue circle with a green background; the word "THREE" written bottom center.
Collection Object
Male Twin Figure
Standing male figure on a round base with hands at the sides. Around the waist are two strings of black and blue beads, a  string of round, orange beads around the neck, as well as a geometric pattern on the abdomen and brass around the ankles. On each cheek are four horizontal grooves topped by three vertical grooves and three vertical grooves. The pupils are metal and the hair is in a conical shape with a small knob and coated in blue pigment. 
Collection Object
Articulation: Formulation
Two rectangles are on a long, horizontal white piece of paper, with rectangles embedded in them in blues, oranges and purples.
Collection Object
The Underworld
This print shows a chaotic scene with a white skeleton in the center. In the upper left, there are a series of sea creatures, including a grey colored shark, pink colored squids and two octopuses in shades of orange. At the bottom of the print, the skeleton is surrounded by a large lizard, skulls, and other figures. A moon and stars are in the upper left corner. The print is signed (l.r.) "Underground Ann McCoy" and numbered "18/100" in red pencil.
Collection Object
Pot
A squat, gracefully rounded pot with a mouth that is slightly smaller than the widest circumference of the pot, and a tapered base. The interior is colored white (slip). There is a band of black along the rim. The exterior is decorated with a checkerboard-like pattern of alternating rectangles of two designs: brownish-orange divided vertically by a white stripe broken by three thin black lines and white squares divided diagonally with wave-like black shapes.
Collection Object
Articulation: Formulation
On a long white horizontal piece of paper are two rectangles, the one on the left is larger and the on the right, smaller. On the left rectangle are orange, white and black vertical and horizontal stripes. On the right rectangle there are black, white and grey stripes. 
Collection Object
Articulation: Formulation
On a long horizontal white piece of paper two brown-maroon rectangles sit. Each has a series of rectangles within it with a squared U-shape sitting on the bottom edge of the nested rectangles. The colors are dark yellows, reds, oranges, and some blue. 
Collection Object
Sunflower III
This abstract print has a large dark red and black circular form in the top half of the frame and a large orange and red circular form in lower half.  Black splotches and expressive lines dominate and overlap much of the image.
Collection Object
October
This abstract color lithograph is made up of swirling lines and patterns of white, black, orange, pink and green inks. These forms make up an all-over image and appear similar to splatters or drips of ink. The print is signed and dated (l.r.) "Tobey 1970" and editioned (l.l.) "19/200" in pencil.
Collection Object
Tile with Hopi Thunderbird
Red orange rectangular tile with a thin black line border and black Thunderbird design.
Collection Object
Children of Niobe
This color lithograph has an abstract composition of thin lines, all about the same width, in red, orange, green, and black. The print is numbered (l.l.) "79/250", titled (l.c.) "Children of Niobe", and signed and dated (l.r.) "S W Hayter 54" in pencil.
Collection Object
Abstrakte Komposition
A spare and restrained abstract composition is built up out of layers of mostly translucent basic geometric forms. The grey tones of the background are created with large rectangle shapes. In the upper part of the piece is a light colored circle, with a brighter circle inside it. Both are crossed by an axis of bright, thin orange lines. On the left, the point of a triangle protrudes from the edge. It is covered by a faint gray trapezoidal shape. Three small black semi-circles are also visible: one along the lines inside the circles; the other two along the trapezoidal shape and just beneath the triangle.
Collection Object
Day of All Dead

Collection Object
Underworld
This hand colored lithograph shows a chaotic scene with three, masked figures at the lower left surrounded by a variety of sea creatures: squids, octopusus, sharks and turtles. 
Collection Object
Bleeding Skull

Collection Object
Miserere. Pl. 54. 'Debout les morts!' 'Arise, ye dead!'

Collection Object
Dark Horizon

Collection Object
The Traghetto, No. 2, One of the 'Twelve Etchings,' or the 'First Venice Set'
A dark passageway dominates the middle and left portions of the composition; to the right is a group of men seated outside at a table. The passageway has a view at the far end of a man seated while a gondola passes by. In front of the passageway are three young trees, the leaves of which fall in front of the passageway. To the left of the passageway is a child holding a baby. On either side of the passageway are windows that indicate the walls that fill the plate.
Collection Object
Abstraction, from the portfolio "Constellations"

Collection Object
Miners' Union Hall
Photograph of a square-shaped wooden building with broken windows and a wagon alongside it.
Collection Object
Untitled, from "Album Cinétique en hommage à Alexandre Dauvillier"

Collection Object
Iro-Nabeshima Plate with Maple Leaves on Spider Wed design, one of five

Collection Object
Autumn Mountain and Stream After a Rain
This painting on a hanging scroll is predominantly painted in black ink. To the right middle of the painting is a stream. Along the left side from edge to edge are plants, trees, and rocks which gradually turn into rocky mountains as it gets closer to the top. Littered on the left side are small buildings. There is also a small roofed building at the edge of the stream. There is an inscription on the upper right side that contains two lines and signature following on the left and a small red stamp. 
Collection Object
Westchester, New York, Farmhouse
A profile view of a farmhouse featuring a car and a tree without leaves.
Collection Object
Rocking Chair
Photograph of a rocking chair on the front porch of a house.
Collection Object
Cemetery Gates
A photograph of a pair of gates set against a cloudy sky.
Collection Object
Calavera Zapatista
A skeleton, with a rifle strapped to his back and a flag of the skull and crossbones in his hand, rides a horse over 13 skulls. The skeleton is wearing a sombrero and he has a handlebar mustache. 
Collection Object
Nightwalkers, Dublin, Ireland
This photograph depicts a view of a snowy street at night.  Meandering in opposites directions, a man and woman are walking their dogs.
Collection Object
Beasts at Night

Collection Object
Cosmos

Copyright
All Rights Reserved
Created by
Laura De Becker
Last Updated
February 2, 2022 8:46 p.m.

4 Items in this Learning Collection
Ah Puch
Bust of a figure from the chest up in three-quarters pose. The head, or perhaps a mask, is white, resembling a skull with a halo of white hair. The neck is dark brown with two white bands like chokers around it, perhaps securing the mask. The figure wears a dark red garment that is trimmed in ornate lace in white and gold. The background is a deep teal green-blue.
Collection Object
Abstract Composition

Collection Object
Buddha, seated in bhumisparsa mudra, surrounded by five stupas (votive plaque)
This clay votive plaque depicts the Buddha in the gesture of “calling the earth to witness." He is shown here surrounded by five stupas, or reliquary monuments.
Collection Object
Sphere with Colour (Grey and White)
Oval-shaped piece of veined, green Swedish marble standing on one of its narrow ends. Three holes of different sizes penetrate into the object's center. The holes are painted in a semi-gloss black and matte white.
Collection Object
Telling Stories: The Rhetoric and Representation of Race and Ethnicity


Copyright
All Rights Reserved
Created by
Scott W Beal
Last Updated
February 2, 2022 8:46 p.m.

22 Items in this Learning Collection
Manet's Olympia
A female nude reclining on a bed wearing one yellow slipper on her left foot, a gold bracelet on her right arm and a black ribbon tied in a bow around her neck. An African American woman in a blue dress stands behind her holding a bouquet of yellow and white flowers. A small monkey sits at the foot of the bed. All subjects look directly at the viewer.
Collection Object
Untitled, Vicksburg, MS

Collection Object
Untitled, Columbia, SC

Collection Object
Untitled, Monroe, LA

Collection Object
Margarita de Bonampak, from "Manuel Alvarez Bravo"

Collection Object
Court Activities, Charleston

Collection Object
Ah Puch
Bust of a figure from the chest up in three-quarters pose. The head, or perhaps a mask, is white, resembling a skull with a halo of white hair. The neck is dark brown with two white bands like chokers around it, perhaps securing the mask. The figure wears a dark red garment that is trimmed in ornate lace in white and gold. The background is a deep teal green-blue.
Collection Object
Colored
An assemblage of found objects: a salvaged wood frame with wood inlay letters spelling &quot;COLORED,&quot; four portrait photographs of African American females (two photogaphs on either side of a printed poem), nine thread samples under photographs, and one hand mirror hanging on a decorative brass hook to the viewer&#39;s right of the frame. The poem reads:&nbsp;<br /> &quot;Light is Alright<br /> Yellow is Mellow<br /> Brown, Stick Around<br /> Black, Get Back<br /> (but black don&#39;t crack)&quot;<br /> <br /> The wood has a strong smell, may have been treated with molasses.<br /> <br /> &nbsp;
Collection Object
After Manet
This image is a circular format black and white photograph depicting four young African American girls wearing floral dresses lounging on a blanket in the grass. Three girls sit or prop themselves up and look at the camera, the fourth girl lays down, with her eyes closed. The glass in the frame has a domed surface, creating a fish-eye effect.
Collection Object
Untitled
White glazed porcelain pitcher with two different black silhouette faces in profile, one on each side.
Collection Object
Untitled
This print has rows of stencilled black text in all capital letters on white background. In pencil, the print is signed and dated (l.r.) "Glenn Lignon '92" and numbered (l.l.) "27/45". 
Collection Object
Untitled
This print has rows of stencilled black text in all capital letters on white background. In pencil, the print is signed and dated (l.r.) "Glenn Lignon '92" and numbered (l.l.) "27/45". 
Collection Object
Chasing a Slaver
Ship chasing another ship. Shore on the right hand side of the painting.
Collection Object
Joseph the Carpenter
This print shows a shipyard, with three laborers working on the hull of a large boat under a dark sky.
Collection Object
Paris #206
Photo of a woman in a floor-length and brightly striped formal gown standing in a multi-level staircase. The photo is taken from above and captures the woman, her companion, and the ornate handrail and stair runner.
Collection Object
Seven Kiowah Men

Collection Object
David Chun - Chinese Shrimp Camp
;
Resource with 3 media
Salome (John the Baptist)
Four people are gathered around a white table in the foreground. A nude woman on the right holds the head of a man on a gray platter. The man&#39;s body is in the bottom right corner of the print with a red trail at the neck. Across from the woman is a man in a red garmet with black and yellow stripes, and a tan cap with a red and blue stripe. Across the table are two other figures and in the background to the right stand two men in blue, much smaller than the figures around the table.
Collection Object
New York in Transit I
In this long horizontally oriented print, we see multiple people of various colors on a subway car; some sit and others stand holding onto subway poles. Windows show various scenes- a plane in the sky, men playing basketball, fish, musicians, and a small group of people walking with a flag. 
Collection Object
Day of All Dead

Collection Object
Póvi-Támuⁿ ("Flower Morning") - San Ildefonso
This is a portrait of a young woman against a plain, dark backdrop. She wears a draped cloth garment, strands of beadwork looped around her neck. Her hair is cut in a short style with blunt, thick bangs covering her forehead. 
Collection Object
Borders of Identity in North America
Photographed from atop a high ridge, this photograph depicts a view looking down into a winding desert canyon.
Resource with 87 media
College Writing for International Students

Copyright
All Rights Reserved
Created by
Scott W Beal
Last Updated
February 2, 2022 8:46 p.m.

40 Items in this Learning Collection
Dvarapala (temple guardian; pair with 1980/2.291)
The two-armed figure dances with his right leg raised and wrapped around a club. His left arm crosses his body and rests above the club and his right hand is raised almost to his ear. Tassels hang from him hips and under his armpits adding a great sense of movement to the whole figure. Multi-hooded snakes are at the base and also around the bottom of the club. He wears much of jewelry including bracelets, anklets, necklaces with should loops and an elaborate belt. His stomach protrudes over the belt. He also has large earrings and a jewel encrusted crown. His eyes bulge out and his mouth is open showing his teeth. He is a pair with 1980/2.291.<br />
Collection Object
Dvarapala (temple guardian; pair with 1980/2.290)
The two-armed figure dances with his left leg raised and wrapped around a club. His left arm is extended down his body and holds onto the club and his right hand is raised almost to his ear. He wears much of jewelry including bracelets, anklets, necklaces with should loops and an elaborate belt almost forming an apron. His stomach protrudes over the belt. He also has large earrings in the form of roaring lions and a jewel encrusted crown. His eyes bulge out and his mouth is open showing his teeth. The whole is badly weathered and not nearly as crisp as his partner, 1980/2.290.<br />
Collection Object
Ganesha, seated on a double lotus throne
Ganesha is shown here seated on a double lotus throne, in a royal posture with the soles of his feet together. He has four arms, and holds two of his attributes in the rear pair: an ax and a rosary. His trunk curls down across his rotund belly to reach for a bowl of sweets that rests in his left forward arm. The cobra slung across his shoulder, now hard to make out because of the centuries of wear of the stone, indicates Ganesha's lineage as the son of the Shiva, in his aspect as the great ascetic. Almost 27 inches high, this sculpture of the Hindu god Ganesha is carved of andesite, a volcanic stone common to the island of Java in Indonesia. Andesite is a soft stone and erodes easily, which is why the carving is no longer crisp.
Collection Object
Landscape in the Style of Huang Gongwang

Collection Object
Cold Light and Snowy Mountains
Purple cloth background with a scene of a mountain. The top of the mountain is on the right side.
Collection Object
Red Trees, Blue Mountains
Landscape colored with the bright hues of autumn. Pavilions are nestled among clouds and mountain forests. A rustic staircase appears between wisps of clouds and trees, winding up the slope next to waterfalls.
Collection Object
In the Spirit of Li Bai's Poetry
Green mountains create the edge of a river. Red flowers grow on the hill framing the scene in the right corner, and two boats sail the waters below. In the upper center of the painting is calligraphic text.
Collection Object
Cross-Island Highway Based on Sketches
Painted and inscribed on the occasion of Veterans’ Day. The artist depicts a view of the narrow, winding roadway cutting through a magnificent rocky mountain. <br />In his inscription, Chang claims to use methods of Song masters that were adopted in painting the scene. A small detail on the lower right of the painting represents a couple of tiny figures standing aside the road. One figure is depicted as making life-sketches of the scene.
Collection Object
Geese and Reeds (two of a pair)
A grounded and a flying goose is paired in both paintings, creating a contrast of stillness and movement. A goose swoops into the scene from the top left, while the neck of the grounded goose follows a graceful curve to look at the approaching bird. The swaying reeds and grass around the grounded goose add lightness to the composition. Between the two geese are three lines of calligraphy.<br /> <br /> These two hanging scroll paintings depict geese and reeds. Based on the style, the use of silk and the mounting method, it is assumed that the two works are part of the same set. Plate 278-1 (2009/1.488.1) depicts three geese including one with its head plunged into the water, while Plate 278-2 (2009/1.488.2) depicts two. Both works depict reeds on the right part of the painting. Yang&rsquo;s signature in &ldquo;boneless&rdquo; stroke style, effective in portraying light and shade, is striking. Yang Gihun (楊基薰, 1843&ndash;?), who painted these works, was active mainly in Pyeongyang which is currently located i
Collection Object
Geese and Reeds (one of a pair)
A grounded and a flying goose is paired in both paintings, creating a contrast of stillness and movement. The goose is the water has its head turned to watch the descent of the goose flying in from the right. The upper left corner contains calligraphic text, and creating ripples in the water in the foreground is a goose with its head below the surface, and bottom in the air. Reeds come in from the right.<br /> <br /> These two hanging scroll paintings depict geese and reeds. Based on the style, the use of silk and the mounting method, it is assumed that the two works are part of the same set. Plate 278-1 (2009/1.488.1) depicts three geese including one with its head plunged into the water, while Plate 278-2 (2009/1.488.2) depicts two. Both works depict reeds on the right part of the painting. Yang&rsquo;s signature in &ldquo;boneless&rdquo; stroke style, effective in portraying light and shade, is striking. Yang Gihun (楊基薰, 1843&ndash;?), who painted these works, was active mainly in Pyeongyang which is cur
Collection Object
Kris handle in the shape of an ogre

Collection Object
Vanitas (Still Life), with globe, skull, candle, tazza, and covered cup
This remarkable still life depicts a table crowded with, among other things, a gilded covered goblet, a wide saucer-shaped silver tazza, a celestial globe painted with images of the constellations, a skull wearing a laurel wreath, and an extinguished candle, all rendered in exquisite detail with careful attention paid to the effects of light and texture. While the arrangement of objects may appear casual, the composition is artfully balanced along two diagonal axes centered on the two cups that lie crossed on the table. The repetition of ovoid shapes throughout the painting and the monochrome tonality with its restricted range of hues and values, a hallmark of Heda's style, assures the seamless integration of the sundry objects into a unified whole.<br />
Collection Object
The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant
This painting depicts the interior of a room where four men are grouped around a table. They are painted as half-length figures, and their forms fill the foreground. They are painted in warm tones of brown, red and green and dressed in 16th century Netherlandish clothing. There is a king, wearing a pointed crown, who, with his right arm awkwardly crossed over his left, points to another man across the table. He has a furrowed brow and his mouth is partially open as if he is speaking. Next to him is a man looking downward, intently counting coins piled on the table. The third man pauses while writing in a book, his hand with the pen is stopped in mid-air, and looks back at the king. The fourth man, on the other side of the table, has his hands clasped in a pleading gesture and his eyes meet the gaze of the king. Items in the room and on the table such as books, scissors, a money bag, and an hourglass, are painted in great detail. In the upper right, a small outdoor scene, painted in tones of light green, shows
Collection Object
Judith with the Head of Holofernes
The half-length figure of a woman looks directly out of the painting and holds the bearded head of a man on a platter in her hands. She wears a fine robe with large white sleeves and collar, a soft hat with a small white feather, and a bejeweled pin on her left shoulder. The face of an older woman with deeply wrinkled skin appears in the shadows behind her.
Collection Object
Eve Tempted by the Serpent
A nude woman with long hair flowing down her back grasps a tree branch with her right hand and bends it downward in order to more easily pluck the green fruit dangling at its tip with her left hand. Her white body contrasts starkly with the darker tones of the surrounding landscape. The less conspicuous figure of a serpent with the head of a bearded man coils about the trunk of the tree next to the woman and fixes her with his stare.
Collection Object
Last Supper
A photograph of eight boys, all of which are the same person, voraciously eating a loaf of white bread off a rock in a forest.
Collection Object
Ah Puch
Bust of a figure from the chest up in three-quarters pose. The head, or perhaps a mask, is white, resembling a skull with a halo of white hair. The neck is dark brown with two white bands like chokers around it, perhaps securing the mask. The figure wears a dark red garment that is trimmed in ornate lace in white and gold. The background is a deep teal green-blue.
Collection Object
Heavenly Officials with Son and Auspicious Offerings (Diptych)
Left panel of a diptych on a cardboard backing. A bearded figure is dressed in an elaborate robe with crane motifs and is holding a vase with long flowers. He stands against a green-blue background, which is covered in a lattice of white clouds. A smaller, childlike figure stands next to him and is holding a teapot with a speech bubble above it. They are facing right.
Collection Object
White Territory
This abstract painting is primarily white with a large squarish area of dark green in the top left quadrant. Loose brushwork varies from wide, full strokes to the short, rapid strokes at the compositions center. Pigment application ranges from a very thin wash to heavy impasto.
Collection Object
Composition
This painting has a series of flat, colorful, overlapping geometric and biomorphic abstract forms in greens, yellows, purple, reds, black, grey, and white. The painting is signed in black (l.l.) "herbin".
Collection Object
The Break-up of the Ice (La Débâcle or Les Glaçons)
A sweeping winter river scene opens up from the foreground and sweeps away towards the left. Ice floes dot the river surface and snowy hills frame trees that stand along the riverbank in the middle distance. The palette of this painting is restricted to mauves, blues, greens, and whites.
Collection Object
Sea and Rain
The painting depicts a solitary male figure standing along the shore. The thin layers of paint evoke a misty, overcast day with the figure standing perhaps on a tidal flat.
Collection Object
The Bullfight (Courses de taureaux)
A bull in the center charges to the left toward a horse rearing up with a bullfighter on its back. The bullfighter leans forward to plunge a spear into the bull's shoulder area. Flags and spectator stands lie in the background.
Collection Object
Espace-temps en fusion
Winding through the center of this print, a melting clock oozes from the top right to the bottom center in red, yellow and blue. To the left of the base of the clock is a bright orange and red bolder. In the background, there is a large landscape with mountains and a cloudy sky. There are three figures in the scene. At the bottom right, a figure is seated with a staff and behind it is a large shape in yellow, red and blue. At the center, there is a sketch of a mounted figure on a rearing horse; and at the upper right, there is a figure with a strong shadow. The print is signed (l.r.) and numbered (l.l.) in pencil. 
Collection Object
"Untitled" (March 5th) #2
Two forty-watt light bulbs in simple porcelain light sockets hang together by their extension cords from a nail on the wall.
Collection Object
Standing Figure
An elongated female nude figure with minimal features stands on a small rectangular base with left foot slightly forward. The metal has a texture resembling molten wax.
Collection Object
Tintern Abbey
A large, Gothic ruin dominates the scene. The west portal of a large church stands with full light, from the left, illuminating its portal. Along its second story ivy grows across the facade while trees cluster in the L-shaped angle toward the right and other vegetation is evident along the roofline of the structure. Several women enter through the main doorway of the building. A stone wall encircles the structure and two houses occupy the land immediately to the left of the church ruin. In the foreground a lane leads past the church with a man leading a black horse and a running hound in the right foreground, and a figure with its back to the viewer is visible at the left foreground. Behind the scene, dark, wind-swept clouds indicate a recent storm that has now passed, allowing golden light to suffuse the landscape.
Collection Object
After Manet
This image is a circular format black and white photograph depicting four young African American girls wearing floral dresses lounging on a blanket in the grass. Three girls sit or prop themselves up and look at the camera, the fourth girl lays down, with her eyes closed. The glass in the frame has a domed surface, creating a fish-eye effect.
Collection Object
Chasing a Slaver
Ship chasing another ship. Shore on the right hand side of the painting.
Collection Object
Simpsonville

Collection Object
Mother©
This is a line drawing on white paper a ladder in the center, with the word "Mother" below it followed by the copyright symbol.
Collection Object
Joseph the Carpenter
This print shows a shipyard, with three laborers working on the hull of a large boat under a dark sky.
Collection Object
Love is What You Want
This sculpture is a pink neon light in the shape of a heart with the words &quot;Love is What You Want&quot; inscribed within the heart.
Collection Object
Rocky Mountains
This loosely sketched landscape shows a large white mountain with blue sky beyond. Some details and highlights are created in yellows, reds and blacks.  
Collection Object
Mt. Williamson, Sierra Nevada, from Manzanar, California
This photograph depicts a flat, boulder-strewn valley leading up to a range of cloud-swept mountains in the distance. 
Collection Object
Paris #206
Photo of a woman in a floor-length and brightly striped formal gown standing in a multi-level staircase. The photo is taken from above and captures the woman, her companion, and the ornate handrail and stair runner.
Collection Object
David Chun - Chinese Shrimp Camp
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Resource with 3 media
Seven Kiowah Men

Collection Object
Untitled (No. XXIII)

Collection Object
Untitled (Swan Painting)
Abstract painting of a white swan on a pink and green background.
Collection Object
Writing in the Surreal World
If you are unable to come to UMMA in person due to illness, quarantine, etc., you can choose a work from this set of surrealist and surrealist-adjacent pieces from the UMMA collection. 

Copyright
All Rights Reserved
Created by
Scott W Beal
Last Updated
February 2, 2022 8:46 p.m.

59 Items in this Learning Collection
At the Crossroads (En Rade)
Three birds, executed with spare line and simple form, are set within an abstracted landscape of bright yellows and oranges.
Collection Object
Correspondances dangereuses
At the center of the etching are three or four amorphous figures in white and two shades of black, made in crosshatching. The figures are entwined and have animal and bird-like features. The background is crosshatched to the edges of the page. The print is signed (l.r.) "Max Ernst" and numbered (l.l.) "57/70" in pencil.
Collection Object
Solomon 1:16: 'Our bed is green...', from the suite 'Solomon: Song of Songs'

Collection Object
Creation of a Woman, II

Collection Object
Bugeleisen (Iron)

Collection Object
One of five prints from the suite "The Means to an End--A Shadow Drama in Five Acts"

Collection Object
One of five prints from the suite "The Means to an End--A Shadow Drama in Five Acts"

Collection Object
One of five prints from the suite "The Means to an End--A Shadow Drama in Five Acts"

Collection Object
One of five prints from the suite "The Means to an End--A Shadow Drama in Five Acts"

Collection Object
Now the Dove and the Leopard Wrestle
At the center of the painting, two animals meet: a horse and a bull. Painted in a variety of colors, the two animals are abstracted in a Cubist style. The painting is signed (u.r.) in black paint "Bearden". 
Collection Object
Lenox Avenue
This is an abstract face of a figure looking to the right. The head is divided into compartments of varying textures by several straight lines. There are piano keys are on the left side of the head, and a cigarette at top left.&nbsp;
Collection Object
People

Collection Object
The Riddle, Plate 4 from 'The Myth of Oedipus'

Collection Object
Espace-temps en fusion
Winding through the center of this print, a melting clock oozes from the top right to the bottom center in red, yellow and blue. To the left of the base of the clock is a bright orange and red bolder. In the background, there is a large landscape with mountains and a cloudy sky. There are three figures in the scene. At the bottom right, a figure is seated with a staff and behind it is a large shape in yellow, red and blue. At the center, there is a sketch of a mounted figure on a rearing horse; and at the upper right, there is a figure with a strong shadow. The print is signed (l.r.) and numbered (l.l.) in pencil. 
Collection Object
Télévision liquide et gazeuse
In this mixed-media print, there is a white background with black outlines of facial features, lips and an eye, and a creature in the bottom left. In the upper left corner there is a rectanglular sheet in cream layered on top; a wavy vertical design stretches diagonally from the top of the rectangle to the bottom in yellow, red, and blue. Within this sheet, there are small figures at the center left drawn in black. To the right in the sheet, there is a collaged image of one of the artist's paintings, incorporated into a cube. Above, there are drawn birds. There is a small mechanical-like figure on the sheet at the bottom left. At the center of the print, in the cream page, the artist signed "Dali" and dated the print "1975. To the bottom left, on the larger white page, there is text inscribed in the plate, mirrored and someone illegible, that possibly reads "Leill Ciclopeer Alucire la bouche Almient tire / Lula [illegible]." The print is number at the lower left in pencil.
Collection Object
Underworld
This hand colored lithograph shows a chaotic scene with three, masked figures at the lower left surrounded by a variety of sea creatures: squids, octopusus, sharks and turtles. 
Collection Object
The Underworld
This print shows a chaotic scene with a white skeleton in the center. In the upper left, there are a series of sea creatures, including a grey colored shark, pink colored squids and two octopuses in shades of orange. At the bottom of the print, the skeleton is surrounded by a large lizard, skulls, and other figures. A moon and stars are in the upper left corner. The print is signed (l.r.) "Underground Ann McCoy" and numbered "18/100" in red pencil.
Collection Object
South Polar Quadrille

Collection Object
Quetzal
This color lithograph has a bright yellow background with figures in red and white at the center. Horizontally oriented at the center is a large white semi-geometric creature with three heads—one at the bottom and two at the flanks—that is capped with horns and breasts. There is a red box-like figure in the background that has a horned head and a series of horns, wings, and flames emanating from it. The print is numbered, titled and signed (l.r.) in pencil: "no 57 - "Quetzal" / Wilfredo Lam".
Collection Object
Sensations
Brightly-colored image of abstract shapes in hues of blue and red with white shapes giving the pieces a shining appearance.
Collection Object
The Archeologists IV (Gli Archeologi IV); Plate VI from the suite "Metamorphosis" (Metamorphosis is underlined)

Collection Object
Rhabdomancie
At the center of the print is a series of abstract bone-like shapes put together to resemble a creature or creatures. The background is colored, top to bottom, in blue, yellow, and green. The print is signed and dated (l.r.) "Yves Tanguy 1947" and numbered (l.l.) "57/70" in pencil.
Collection Object
I Want To See It To Believe It
This vertical print is bisected by four horizontal light blue squares approximately one third of the way up from the bottom. The second square from the left is joined by a square above and below so that all the liight blue squares create a horizontally oriented cross. Both inside and outside the cross-grid there are seven tan figures, who seem to be engaged in a variety of activities. There are a number of designs that move out from the cross, some related to what is pictured inside and some not. The print is signed and dated (l.l.) "Matta 47" and numbered (l.r.) "57/70" in pencil.
Collection Object
The Skyline (La Ligne d'horizon)

Collection Object
Bestiaire. IV. Le Sang et la Race

Collection Object
Bounded on the West by the Land Under Water
Four spare industrial structures rise at different angles into an empty landscape. On the viewer&#39;s right, a scaffolding rises from the lower corner and angles to the left. On the left, another scaffold structure runs from the bottom corner along the left edge. In the middle, a building-like structure rises from the bottom of the composition and leans into the visual space, resting on a long rectangular solid that is draped with a cloth.
Collection Object
The Terror Stopper (Le Bouchon d'Epouvante), Plate VI from the series "Dawn at the Antipode (Aube à l'Antipode)

Collection Object
Castronautes
In this print, there is a figure that is formed in the upper right with thick black lines. It floats above abstract circular line designs. There is a blue and purple background, with areas of light behind the figure, darker areas below the figure. The print is signed (l.r.) and numbered (l.l.) "5/100" in pencil.
Collection Object
Turning Form

Collection Object
Little Girl with Cherries (Expectation)
A girl at a table covered in fruit with a beach scene in the background
Collection Object
Birds at Home
A color photograph of a group of children and a cat at a table. Each child engages with something in the room, which is in an organized disarray. Egg shells fall from the table to the floor, toys are strewn about, and an infant and cat sit in the middle of the table.
Collection Object
Last Supper
A photograph of eight boys, all of which are the same person, voraciously eating a loaf of white bread off a rock in a forest.
Collection Object
Allume tes gitanes
This black and white print shows the images of two pistols pointed at each other. Two large black abstract forms with vertical stripes sit underneath and above the two guns. At the lower right, there is a rectanglular box with the text "ALLUME TES / GITANES" and artist's signature "Man Ray", alongside an image comprised of half a glass bottle and abstract shapes and marks. The print is signed (l.r.) "Man Ray" and numbered (l.l.) "8/41" in pencil.
Collection Object
Calling Radio Free America
This photolithographic print in shades of blue and rusty red is separated into three main registers. There are three television screens at the top, each with a different image: from left to right, a woman putting on her earrings as a man looks on, an American football game, and an image of a man in a suit from the chest up with the text Dr. Walter W. Heller. Below these images, there is a register with a grid of squares within squares with two large rectangular boundries; at the far right, two larger squares are stacked vertically. The bottom register of images shows a contemporary domestic kitchen, the colors of which are transected in two places, and, in the foreground, an oversized image of a female hand holding a sandwich and a fork with salad attached.
Collection Object
Martha Graham—Lamentation
A composite print from two negatives, each representing a moment from a dance performance. The woman wears a large cloth, which she manipulates with her motions to create forms and shapes.
Collection Object
Woman of the Woods
A photograph of two women standing outdoors. They stand next to a puddle of water, one left of center, one on the right side of the frame. Rows of trees extend into the background behind them.
Collection Object
Self-Portrait in Time

Collection Object
Equisetum Sylvaticum
This cyanotype photograph displays the silhouettes of six plant stems laid out in a row.
Collection Object
Self-Portrait: Vertical Motion Up, Medium; Pivotal Motion Large
This photograph is a blurred and distorted portrait of a figure standing against a blank wall.
Collection Object
Party Picture
The image depicts figures beneath three disco balls in three different horizontal compartments; one red, another yellow, and the third blue. 
Collection Object
Untitled
A black and white photograph of droplets of water captured in suspension. Behind the water droplets, an eye is visible, though it is blurred by a shallow depth of field. In the water droplets, the eye is reflected upside down and in sharp focus.
Collection Object
Untitled (Medusa Marinara)
A photograph of a female head made of pasta and marinara sauce printed on a porcelain plate. On verso, the plate is numbered &quot;39;&quot; it is labeled part of &quot;The Peter Norton Family Christmas Project&quot; and dated 1999; the manufacturer is labeled &quot;Made in Bernardaud in Limoges, France;&quot; and, below, it reads &quot;Lead Free Dishwasher Safe.&quot;
Collection Object
Three Eyes
Square-format photograph of three small sculptures with eyes printed on them organized in a stack, alongside a pair of spectacles.
Collection Object
androgyforms (made from self & white t-shirt)
This work is a series of thirteen photographs of a person in a closet. &nbsp;The figure is dressed in a white t-shirt and makes various poses pulling the t-shirt over their body in different ways. Of the thirteen, one photograph is just the white t-shirt hanging in the closet and one is a photograph of the t-shirt on the floor; in both of these images the figure is absent.
Collection Object
In the Box - Horizontal
This monochrome photograph of a nude woman shows her reclining, knees bent; her figure framed by a large box. 
Collection Object
Unititled

Collection Object
Allegorical Composition
This abstract composition shows a fantastical, surreal structure comprised of angular shapes in many colors. A shadow is cast on the brown surface upon which the structure stands. 
Collection Object
The Student (L'Etudiante)
On a narrow, vertically oriented canvas, white surreal biomorphic forms float over a background of larger biomorphic forms in dark blues and black with some red splashes. 
Collection Object
The Elements: Leaf transformed into a torso
Yellow form centered on a white background; the form is in the shape of a leaf.
Collection Object
Wives Waiting at a Mine Rescue

Collection Object
Machines and El Patterns
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Collection Object
Male Venus

Collection Object
Illuminated Landscape
Nocturnal scene with landscape populated by otherworldly pink, green, and blue flora and fauna resembling marine life or celestial bodies.
Collection Object
Cradles in the Sea

Collection Object
What We All Lack (Ce qui manque à nous tous)
A clear glass bubble rests on the bowl of a plain white clay pipe. Along the stem of the pipe are the words, "Ce que [sic] manque à nous tous."
Collection Object
Figure with Spiders
At the center of this work, there is a red, yellow, and blue figure with a gold hoop earring in the right ear. Eight black spiders dangle from lines on each side of figure and a snake-like createure is at the top. The whole watercolor has a rusty-orange backdrop.
Collection Object
Warriors

Collection Object
Ah Puch
Bust of a figure from the chest up in three-quarters pose. The head, or perhaps a mask, is white, resembling a skull with a halo of white hair. The neck is dark brown with two white bands like chokers around it, perhaps securing the mask. The figure wears a dark red garment that is trimmed in ornate lace in white and gold. The background is a deep teal green-blue.
Collection Object
Liberty Renewed

Collection Object
Early 20th-Century Latin American/Latinx

Copyright
All Rights Reserved
Created by
Sean Joseph Kramer
Last Updated
February 2, 2022 8:46 p.m.

5 Items in this Learning Collection
Council
A group portrait of three figures shown from the chest up, against a black background. An older man faces forward, in the center, with gray hair and a gray beard. The person to his right faces and stares intently at him. The person to his left appears younger, has tousled hair and gazes off to the side.
Collection Object
Landscape of Quito
This horizontal format painting is done in shades of light and dark gray, cream and yellow. With abstracted forms it depicts jagged mountains sihouetted against a cloudy sky. In front of these mountains there are rolling hills and geometric forms that suggest a cityscape. In the foreground there are more mountain peaks.
Collection Object
Ah Puch
Bust of a figure from the chest up in three-quarters pose. The head, or perhaps a mask, is white, resembling a skull with a halo of white hair. The neck is dark brown with two white bands like chokers around it, perhaps securing the mask. The figure wears a dark red garment that is trimmed in ornate lace in white and gold. The background is a deep teal green-blue.
Collection Object
Figure with Spiders
At the center of this work, there is a red, yellow, and blue figure with a gold hoop earring in the right ear. Eight black spiders dangle from lines on each side of figure and a snake-like createure is at the top. The whole watercolor has a rusty-orange backdrop.
Collection Object
Construction #45
This is an abstract metallic sculpture with a black square base. The silver metal of the sculpture is little thicker than wire and forms two into intersecting circular shapes.
Collection Object
35 Items in this Learning Collection
Le pinchet noir et la tête de mort (Black Pitcher and Death's Hand)

Collection Object
Paper Collage with Slide Projection
This sculptural mixed-media consists of three long, narrow panels supporting plexiglass elements. The first has transparent plexiglass with brown geometric shapes on it as well as broken glass or plexiglass rods, and painted blue, green, and red dashed lines on the plexiglass. The second, shorter panel is black and glossy with six black matte squares on it. Red, orange, green, and blue abstract shapes are layered underneath the squares. The third, narrower, panel is transparent with eight square sections, some covered with an opaque material. There are also abstract designs that are primarily black, with some green and orange.
Collection Object
Le Poisson
This color lithograph shows an orange fish encased in a wide halo of blue ink which is, in turn, encased in a border of purple ink, with light grey showing through from behind the purple and blue. On the left is a gridded orange circular shape encased in the same borders. 
Collection Object
Calavera Maderista
A figure of a skeleton wearing a hat, scarf, pants and sandals walking towards the left side of the image. He has a mustache and carries a bottle.
Collection Object
Ah Puch
Bust of a figure from the chest up in three-quarters pose. The head, or perhaps a mask, is white, resembling a skull with a halo of white hair. The neck is dark brown with two white bands like chokers around it, perhaps securing the mask. The figure wears a dark red garment that is trimmed in ornate lace in white and gold. The background is a deep teal green-blue.
Collection Object
Sunset Corner
A vast surface of orange yields in the very bottom of the painting to a swath of yellow, under which there is a line of white and green, and under that a thin black line.
Collection Object
Number 3, from "Numbers"
The number &quot;3&quot; in orange in a blue circle with a green background; the word &quot;THREE&quot; written bottom center.
Collection Object
Male Twin Figure
Standing male figure on a round base with hands at the sides. Around the waist are two strings of black and blue beads, a  string of round, orange beads around the neck, as well as a geometric pattern on the abdomen and brass around the ankles. On each cheek are four horizontal grooves topped by three vertical grooves and three vertical grooves. The pupils are metal and the hair is in a conical shape with a small knob and coated in blue pigment. 
Collection Object
Articulation: Formulation
Two rectangles are on a long, horizontal white piece of paper, with rectangles embedded in them in blues, oranges and purples.
Collection Object
The Underworld
This print shows a chaotic scene with a white skeleton in the center. In the upper left, there are a series of sea creatures, including a grey colored shark, pink colored squids and two octopuses in shades of orange. At the bottom of the print, the skeleton is surrounded by a large lizard, skulls, and other figures. A moon and stars are in the upper left corner. The print is signed (l.r.) "Underground Ann McCoy" and numbered "18/100" in red pencil.
Collection Object
Pot
A squat, gracefully rounded pot with a mouth that is slightly smaller than the widest circumference of the pot, and a tapered base. The interior is colored white (slip). There is a band of black along the rim. The exterior is decorated with a checkerboard-like pattern of alternating rectangles of two designs: brownish-orange divided vertically by a white stripe broken by three thin black lines and white squares divided diagonally with wave-like black shapes.
Collection Object
Articulation: Formulation
On a long white horizontal piece of paper are two rectangles, the one on the left is larger and the on the right, smaller. On the left rectangle are orange, white and black vertical and horizontal stripes. On the right rectangle there are black, white and grey stripes. 
Collection Object
Articulation: Formulation
On a long horizontal white piece of paper two brown-maroon rectangles sit. Each has a series of rectangles within it with a squared U-shape sitting on the bottom edge of the nested rectangles. The colors are dark yellows, reds, oranges, and some blue. 
Collection Object
Sunflower III
This abstract print has a large dark red and black circular form in the top half of the frame and a large orange and red circular form in lower half.  Black splotches and expressive lines dominate and overlap much of the image.
Collection Object
October
This abstract color lithograph is made up of swirling lines and patterns of white, black, orange, pink and green inks. These forms make up an all-over image and appear similar to splatters or drips of ink. The print is signed and dated (l.r.) "Tobey 1970" and editioned (l.l.) "19/200" in pencil.
Collection Object
Tile with Hopi Thunderbird
Red orange rectangular tile with a thin black line border and black Thunderbird design.
Collection Object
Children of Niobe
This color lithograph has an abstract composition of thin lines, all about the same width, in red, orange, green, and black. The print is numbered (l.l.) "79/250", titled (l.c.) "Children of Niobe", and signed and dated (l.r.) "S W Hayter 54" in pencil.
Collection Object
Abstrakte Komposition
A spare and restrained abstract composition is built up out of layers of mostly translucent basic geometric forms. The grey tones of the background are created with large rectangle shapes. In the upper part of the piece is a light colored circle, with a brighter circle inside it. Both are crossed by an axis of bright, thin orange lines. On the left, the point of a triangle protrudes from the edge. It is covered by a faint gray trapezoidal shape. Three small black semi-circles are also visible: one along the lines inside the circles; the other two along the trapezoidal shape and just beneath the triangle.
Collection Object
Day of All Dead

Collection Object
Underworld
This hand colored lithograph shows a chaotic scene with three, masked figures at the lower left surrounded by a variety of sea creatures: squids, octopusus, sharks and turtles. 
Collection Object
Bleeding Skull

Collection Object
Miserere. Pl. 54. 'Debout les morts!' 'Arise, ye dead!'

Collection Object
Dark Horizon

Collection Object
The Traghetto, No. 2, One of the 'Twelve Etchings,' or the 'First Venice Set'
A dark passageway dominates the middle and left portions of the composition; to the right is a group of men seated outside at a table. The passageway has a view at the far end of a man seated while a gondola passes by. In front of the passageway are three young trees, the leaves of which fall in front of the passageway. To the left of the passageway is a child holding a baby. On either side of the passageway are windows that indicate the walls that fill the plate.
Collection Object
Abstraction, from the portfolio "Constellations"

Collection Object
Miners' Union Hall
Photograph of a square-shaped wooden building with broken windows and a wagon alongside it.
Collection Object
Untitled, from "Album Cinétique en hommage à Alexandre Dauvillier"

Collection Object
Iro-Nabeshima Plate with Maple Leaves on Spider Wed design, one of five

Collection Object
Autumn Mountain and Stream After a Rain
This painting on a hanging scroll is predominantly painted in black ink. To the right middle of the painting is a stream. Along the left side from edge to edge are plants, trees, and rocks which gradually turn into rocky mountains as it gets closer to the top. Littered on the left side are small buildings. There is also a small roofed building at the edge of the stream. There is an inscription on the upper right side that contains two lines and signature following on the left and a small red stamp.&nbsp;
Collection Object
Westchester, New York, Farmhouse
A profile view of a farmhouse featuring a car and a tree without leaves.
Collection Object
Rocking Chair
Photograph of a rocking chair on the front porch of a house.
Collection Object
Cemetery Gates
A photograph of a pair of gates set against a cloudy sky.
Collection Object
Calavera Zapatista
A skeleton, with a rifle strapped to his back and a flag of the skull and crossbones in his hand, rides a horse over 13 skulls. The skeleton is wearing a sombrero and he has a handlebar mustache. 
Collection Object
Nightwalkers, Dublin, Ireland
This photograph depicts a view of a snowy street at night.  Meandering in opposites directions, a man and woman are walking their dogs.
Collection Object
Beasts at Night

Collection Object

Copyright
All Rights Reserved ()

Ah Puch

Bust of a figure from the chest up in three-quarters pose. The head, or perhaps a mask, is white, resembling a skull with a halo of white hair. The neck is dark brown with two white bands like chokers around it, perhaps securing the mask. The figure wears a dark red garment that is trimmed in ornate lace in white and gold. The background is a deep teal green-blue.
Zoom
Accession Number
1958/1.102

Title
Ah Puch

Artist(s)
Guillermo Meza

Artist Nationality
Mexican

Object Creation Date
1949

Medium & Support
oil on canvas

Dimensions
45 3/8 in x 33 7/16 in (115.2 cm x 85 cm);46 1/4 in x 34 1/2 in x 1 in (117.48 cm x 87.63 cm x 2.54 cm)

Subject matter
As the title suggests, this is a portrait of one of the Mayan death gods, Ah Puch. This is a skeleton-like being, the patron of the sixth day-sign Cimi, and Lord of Hell. This subject matter is not only a depiction of the god, however, but also a more general image of Mexican culture. Meza's depiction reflects the role the skeleton mask plays as a powerful symbol in Mexican culture. This work is indicative of Meza's engagement with Surrealism and, what has been termed Magic Realism. The painterly quality of the background conjuries images of storm clouds. Like many of the Mayan gods, Ah Puch also had benevolent qualities as a bringer of rain and fertility. 

Physical Description
Bust of a figure from the chest up in three-quarters pose. The head, or perhaps a mask, is white, resembling a skull with a halo of white hair. The neck is dark brown with two white bands like chokers around it, perhaps securing the mask. The figure wears a dark red garment that is trimmed in ornate lace in white and gold. The background is a deep teal green-blue.

Primary Object Classification
Painting

Collection Area
Modern and Contemporary

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Keywords
Mayan Revival
deaths
face masks
gods (dieties)
head
heads (animal components)
modern and contemporary art
skulls (skeleton components)
thunderstorms

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& Author Notes

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