Terracotta sculpture of a woman of African descent's face: her hair is flattened against her skull, extending down to the figure’s neck, and its texture is delineated with small incisions. Her face possesses a prominent forehead, broad nose, and full lips. The sculpture is both highly individual yet also timeless and universal.

Head of a Black Woman

c. 1935

Sargent Claude Johnson (American, 1888–1967)

United States

In Head of a Black Woman, Sargent Claude Johnson combined abstract elements drawn from African sculpture and masks—such as the regularly scored marks that describe hair—with a naturalistic portrayal of the woman’s physiognomy. In the 1920s and 1930s, writer and philosopher Alain Locke urged artists to seek aesthetic inspiration from African art, and Johnson frequently followed this advice. Here, by subtly stylizing the woman’s appearance, Johnson made this delicate terracotta sculpture highly individual yet also timeless and universal.

Terracotta

African American artists

African Diaspora

Arts of the Americas