Name/Title
untitledEntry/Object ID
2010.1.10Description
This painting by Mary Tillman Smith depicts 6 figures in black with yellow buttons surrounded by yellow an red dots on a white background. The letters CRTO are written at the center bottom. Born in 1904 in Martinville, Mississippi, Mary Tillman Smith was the third of 13 children in her family who grew up working on a sharecrop farm. From an early age, her family knew she was very intelligent but a severe hearing impairment made her speech difficult to understand, and made her an outcast in local society. She went to school through the 5th grade, where she first found an outlet from her alienation by drawing in the dirt at recess and adding funny text to her drawings.Collection
Southern Vernacular Art CollectionAcquisition
Accession
2010.1Source or Donor
Lou and Calynne HillAcquisition Method
GiftMade/Created
Artist Information
Artist
Smith, Mary TillmanRole
ArtistDate made
n.d.Dimensions
Height
23-3/4 inWidth
23-3/4 inInterpretative Labels
Label
Mary T. Smith (1904-1995)
Born in 1904 in Martinville, Mississippi, Mary Tillman Smith was born with a serious hearing impairment making her speech difficult to understand, and was labeled an outcast in her community. Many of the "slogans" on Smith's paintings that accompany her images were purposely written unintelligibly, and served as "keep out" signs, giving her privacy and security. Many of Smith's paintings include religious themes and iconography that are conveyed with bold patterns, designs, and nonsense words. Using mostly house paint on scrap material, Smith's abstract expressionistic style was influenced by billboards advertising on the highway near her house.Created By
admin@catalogit.appCreate Date
October 1, 2009