Identity from Femfolio
Emma Amos
American, 1937–2020
2006, published 2009
A digital print with lithograph in which the artist portrays a woman whose layered marks, carved-looking lines, and vibrant braided hair insist on the complexity and visibility of identity.
What hits you first is the subject’s steady, direct gaze set against rhythmic, incised marks across her face and neck, while multicolored, textured strokes and sketched symbols in the hair form a lively, halo-like field of motion.
Created for the Femfolio project, the piece uses the reproducibility and painterly qualities of printmaking to challenge narrow portrayals of women—particularly women of color—and to broaden how prints can express personal and political identity.
Medium
Digital print with lithograph from a portfolio of nineteen digital prints (twelve with lithograph, one with pochoir, one with hand coloring, and one with gold dusting) and one lithograph
Dimensions
composition (irreg.): 10 1/16 x 9 3/4" (25.5 x 24.7 cm); sheet: 12 x 12" (30.5 x 30.5 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of Ann and Lee Fensterstock in honor of Momenta Art
Accession
113.2010.1
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
