Counting

Artist Lorna Simpson (American, born 1960)

Date1991

MediumPhotogravure with screen print on paper

DimensionsOverall: 73 3/4 × 38in. (187.3 × 96.5cm)

ClassificationsPRINTS

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Terms

Object number92.5

Description

On View

Not on view

Collections

Graphic Arts

Label TextIn Counting Simpson juxtaposes the partial image of a woman-larger than life but anonymous-with that of a small hut and a third image that might be a rope or a braid. Around these pictures she places various measures of counting-minutes and years, quantities of bricks and "twists," "locks" and "braids." On a visit to Charleston, S.C., Simpson made the photograph of the hut, which was a slave's quarters. With this knowledge, one can begin to contemplate the weight of marking time for people who don't own their lives. Moreover, connotations for the three words at the bottom may be with slavery or may be with plaited hair, a sign of ethnic identification that could be celebrated or misunderstood, depending on one's perspective. Discovering connections between the words and images may take time, but Simpson's juxtapositions allow for rich, layered interpretations. MEM 2002