Lady Will Stand By Her Tiger

Name/Title

Lady Will Stand By Her Tiger

Entry/Object ID

2017.3.6

Description

In keeping with his theme of relationships between men and women, Dial depicts a nude female figure floating alongside a large blue tiger. The tigers in Dial's pieces are often symbolic and representative of Dial himself and aspects of the African American male experience. The tigers are portrayed as the energetic element of the composition; praising and frolicking around the women in his pieces, curling in the presence of those women, and exposing their underbellies for feminine consumption, as well as masculine satisfaction. This was intended to portray men as being strong, stealthy, and subtly dangerous, much like a wild tiger, while simultaneously succumbing to the seductions of women, serving them, and ultimately being controlled by them domestically.

Artwork Details

Medium

Paper, Gouache, pencil, Watercolor Paint

Collection

Southern Vernacular Art Collection

Acquisition

Accession

2017.3

Source or Donor

Hill, Lou and Calynne

Acquisition Method

Gift

Made/Created

Artist Information

Artist

Dial, Thornton Sr.

Role

Artist

Date made

1990

Dimensions

Height

29-3/4 in

Width

22 in

Interpretative Labels

Label

Thornton Dial, Sr. (1928-2016) Thornton Dial, Sr. is the most famous vernacular artist from the Southeast, whose work has shattered the art world's notion of "folk" and "outsider" art. Although Dial has never had any education or art training and is from a rural town in Alabama, his work touches on themes of racial inequality, struggles in a modern world, and relationships between men and women, themes that resonate with audiences around the world.

Created By

admin@catalogit.app

Create Date

January 25, 2017