Memories of a Distant Past, 1975, Egg tempera, gouache, and collage on paper, Private collection, Washington, DC

Audio Description

Memories of a Distant Past from 1975 is egg tempera, gouache, and collage on paper. It is part of a private collection in Washington, DC.

This is a vertical mixed-media artwork on paper called Memories of a Distant Past. Driskell used collage as well as egg tempera and gouache paints. Shapes in bright red appear throughout the composition. There are two main figures; both outlined in thick white lines. In the top right corner is a Black woman with her back to the viewer, but her head is in profile view, and her right eye is looking toward us. Her arms are extended, her left arm near the top edge of the composition, and her right arm running along the middle. She is wearing ornate jewelry on her neck, arms, and wrists. Her hair or headwear is a collage of two different patterns. Her left arm cradles a bifurcated head: on the left the face is drawn or painted in white on black; on the right it is a collaged mask. At the bottom center is another figure with an almond-shaped head. The face is split vertically with patchy brushstrokes in various colors on the left and intricate patterns overlaid in white on the right. The eyes are collaged, but the right eye is upside down and slightly higher than the left eye. Behind and around this figure are collaged elements in purples and golds and thin bands of patterning in white.

Back to African Images     Back to the Audio Exhibition