Reclining Woman

Seydou Keïta

1975 · Gelatin silver print · Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas

Here, a woman leans sideways on a lavish checkered textile that contrasts with the bold arabesque pattern of the vertical backdrop. This reclining pose recurs in several works throughout the exhibition. While Western viewers often associate it with the archetype of the odalisque from nineteenth-century Orientalist paintings, the pose in fact echoes one that would be regularly adopted across West Africa by women at home while entertaining guests at both formal and informal occasions. Rather than suggesting sensuality, the self-assured posture is one that allows the sitter to display her elegant outfit and express her sociability.

Artist

Seydou Keïta

Date

1975

Medium

Gelatin silver print

Department

Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas

Credit line

Gift of Susan Mullin Vogel, 2015