FILTER RESULTS × Close
by Artist (156)
Skip to Content ☰ Open Filter >>

Classification: Painting

Showing 273 of 444


Image of Untitled (Three Female Heads)

Sybil Gibson
American, 1908–1995

Untitled (Three Female Heads)

1994

Object Type: Painting
Creation Place: North America, American, Florida
Dimensions:
27 1/4 in. x 22 5/8 in. (69.22 cm x 57.47 cm)
Medium and Support: Tempera on paper
Accession Number: 1995.0006.0002

Credit Line: Gift of Fred and Theresa Buchanan

Currently On View


Since her discovery in the late 1960s, Sybil Gibson's work has been exhibited in over 50 one-woman shows. She has been called a "naive" or "primitive" artist because she is essentially self-taught. Faces, flowers, and female figures, particularly little girls, are common elements in her works, though her compositions vary widely in mood from innocent to disturbing. The faces gison paints look mask-like or doll-like with minimal expression and stylized features, and the brushwork is loose and descriptive; single strokes often serve for outlines or individual features.

The painting in the MMFA collection is from Gibson's "late period", after cataract surgery. Works from this time retain the general characteristics of Gibson's earlier works, particularly minimal backgrounds and a lack of detail. The motif of a row of female heads, like that in the MMFA work, recurs continually throughout Gibson's oeuvre and seems to have been a favorite composition.

Keywords Click a term to view the records with the same keyword

Portfolio List Click a portfolio name to view all the objects in that portfolio
This object is a member of the following portfolios:


Your current search criteria is: Portfolio is "Classification: Painting" and [Object]Century is "Twentieth century".