Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 9

Artis Lane
"Spiritual Self-Portrait" Watercolor, Ink, Portrait, Nude, Linear Grid, Colors

1960 - 1970s

About the Item

"Spiritual Self-Portrait" is a portrait of the artist by the artist. She has presented herself nude gazing boldly and directly at the viewer not so much challenging, but inviting dialogue. Artis sees this painting as a Spiritual rendering of herself inhabiting a seemingly other worldly space. Only one eye is fully represented reflecting a biblical passage: "If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light." Artis sees this as a representational portrait when she will have achieved her highest spiritual existence in the presence of God. The series of both horizontal and diagonal lines on the surface places a barrier between the subject and the viewer creating a more complex space. The creative use of color both intensely and subtly enhances an already compelling painting. All my life I have worked on three levels of consciousness: Portraits, Social Injustice & Metaphysics In my work I strive to heal, uplift and inspire viewers and collectors to find perfection in their own being. - Artis Lane Born Artis Marie Shreve in 1927, near an all-Black village in North Buxton, Ontario, Canada. After three years of art college in Toronto, Canada, Artis moved to Detroit where she met and married journalist and activist Bill Lane. In Detroit Artis Lane continued her training at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Cranbrook was designed by architect and faculty member, Eliel Saarinen who collaborated with Charles and Ray Eames on chair and furniture design. Numerous creative artists who are alumni of Cranbrook include: Harry Bertoia, Florence Knoll, Jack Lenor Larsen, Donald Lipski, Duane Hanson, Nick Cave, Hani Rashid, George Nelson, Urban Jupena (Nationally recognized fiber artist), Cory Puhlman (televised Pastry Chef extraordinaire), Thom O’Connor (Lithographs), Paul Evans (Brutalist-inspired sculpted metal furnishings), Eugene Caples (small bronze images/abstract), Morris Brose (Bronze Sculptures), Herb Babcock known for blown glass) and Larry Butcher (mixed media abstract artist.) While in the Motor City she painted and sculpted the portraits of many of the business and political leaders of the day; Governor George Romney, Ford family members and Coleman Young, the Mayor of Detroit. After her divorce, she was invited by Diahann Carroll to move from Detroit to come live in New York City where she met and married, Vince Cannon. They spent time in Texas, Ruidoso, New Mexico and traveled to Mexico City, Mexico to paint many of the prominent families in the region. Eventually she settled in Los Angeles and has recently relocated to Detroit. Her portrait and sculpture work has depicted dignitaries like Jaqueline Kennedy, Nelson Mandela, Gordon Getty, President Reagan, President Obama, First Ladies, Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama, Mrs. Walter Annenberg, Nancy Kissinger, including her most recent portrait commissioned by Academy Award winner, Jaime Fox. It’s an elegant painting of Oprah Winfrey, which was unveiled live on her show. Artis Lane has sculpted Don Cornelius, Quincy Jones, Lupita Nyong’o, Lena Horne, Stevie Wonder, and Magic Johnson, and many more. In the 1970’s, social issues became the next focus of her work, which included “Tear on the Face of America,” her civil rights statement, and “The Beginning,” a now famous painting depicting a young Rosa Parks seated in the fateful bus. Artis was honored by the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC during the installation of her bronze sculpture of civil rights leader and longtime friend, Rosa Parks. In 1999, she was selected to execute and design the Congressional Medal of Honor awarded to Ms. Parks. “My Civil Rights images led me naturally to ideas about what and who we are outside of race. I went from there to the most important body of work, the metaphysical images of generic man and generic woman emerging out of the ignorance of material concepts and evolving into spiritual awareness.” Artis Lane. The bigger challenge was to create art that could symbolize and communicate certain spiritual truths that have guided Lane’s life and creative endeavors for most of her adult years and led to her Metaphysical work. She leaves the workings of the foundry: the gaiting material, ceramic shell mold, etc., (the “birthing” materials of the foundry), on the bronze to symbolize generic man emerging out of material thinking into spiritual consciousness. She then shows the work in pairs… the traditional black patina bronze, with the ceramic shell pieces as a metaphor for the moralistic/materialistic conversations that mankind has wrestled with throughout eternity. The new millennium brought new challenges and celebrations of her work. At the age of 80, Lane was commissioned to create a 12 ft. bronze of her “Emerging First Man.” The sculpture was created for an 1100 acre private estate community in Atlanta, GA. In 2007, she was honored by The California African American Museum with a retrospective of her life’s work which included almost 100 works of art. In 2009, First Lady Michelle Obama unveiled Lane’s bust of Abolitionist and Suffragette, Sojourner Truth, which was the first African American woman to be installed in the new Emancipation Hall and is now a part of the collection of the United States Capitol. Ms. Lane’s solo exhibit, “The Art of Artis Lane,” at the Forest Lawn Museum, Glendale, Ca in 2011, brought a thought provoking retrospective of her art to the public including the “Divine Metaphysics” series. Her bust of Arnett Hartsfield, Jr., Pioneering Firefighter & Activist, unveiled at The African American Firefighter Museum in Los Angeles in 2012. The California African American Museum in Los Angeles, mounted a retrospective exhibition entitled “A Woman’s Journey: The Life and Work of Artis Lane” in 2007/2008 and subsequently honored her with its Lifetime Achievement Award. Lane presented an official portrait of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, which was unveiled at City Hall by Mayor Eric Garcetti in 2014. All are merely a few recognition of her achievements over the decades. Lane’s History Makers interview was made a permanent part of the Library of Congress Collection in 2014. Her Artwork is displayed around the world. Artis has been a constant presence at the openings of her artistic colleagues in the region. As one of the honored “elders,” she provides encouragement and support for the younger African American artists who strive to use their own talents to express visions of social, ethical, and spiritual importance. She is, in short a force of nature whose life and work have graced both her native Canada and her adopted United States.
More From This SellerView All
  • "Female Nude" Charcoal Sketch, Nude Female
    Located in Detroit, MI
    SALE ONE WEEK ONLY "Nude Female" by Eric Saarinen is an intimate portrait of a female that appears to be in the throes of orgasm. It is aesthetically re...
    Category

    Late 20th Century Contemporary Nude Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Charcoal

  • Robert Schefman "Portrait Study" Graphite Charcoal Nude, Male Portrait
    Located in Detroit, MI
    SALE ONE WEEK ONLY "Portrait Study" is a well-detailed portrait study of an older nude man. It is signed and dated by the artist. Michael Hodges has written about Robert Schefman fo...
    Category

    2010s Realist Nude Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Charcoal, Graphite

  • John Little "Wallpaper Studies" Eagles, Flowers, Bunting, Color Code Bar
    By John Little
    Located in Detroit, MI
    SALE ONE WEEK ONLY "Wallpaper Studies" is just that, a watercolor of a proposed design for a wallpaper with its's color code on the lower left. The painting is of a Nationalistic de...
    Category

    Mid-20th Century American Modern Paintings

    Materials

    Paper, Watercolor

  • Douglas Semivan Print "Abstract in Gold and Black"
    By Douglas Semivan
    Located in Detroit, MI
    SALE ONE WEEK ONLY "Abstract in Gold and Black" is a well-balanced calm piece. The placement of the gold and white can be read as a distant landscape giving much imagined space to the heavier black area which contains a linear element and the color blue. Semivan is a Master Printmaker and sculptor. He often breaks his surfaces and extends beyond the perimeters in his sculptures. The particular placement of the black area in this piece suggests such a breakage beyond the edge where one imagines a continuation of the strokes or linear elements. This is an altogether extraordinary print. Born in Detroit, Michigan, Douglas Semivan...
    Category

    Late 20th Century American Modern Abstract Prints

    Materials

    Paper, Printer's Ink

  • "Indianapolis Museum of Art Inaugural Exhibitions", Color Silkscreen, Signed
    By Robert Indiana
    Located in Detroit, MI
    "Indianapolis Museum of Art Inaugural Exhibitions", 25 October 1970, is an eye popping large bold colorful geometric abstract silk screen. It is signed on the lower right. Robert Indiana, one of the preeminent figures in American art since the 1960s, played a central role in the development of assemblage art, hard-edge painting, Pop art, Neo-Dada, American Modernism and Modern Art. A self-proclaimed “American painter of signs,” Indiana created a highly original body of work that explores American identity, personal history, and the power of abstraction and language, establishing an important legacy that resonates in the work of many contemporary artists such as Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Roy Lectenstein, David Hockney, Romero Britto, Richard Hamilton and Robert Rauschenberg who make the written word a central element of their oeuvre. Robert Indiana was born Robert Clark in New Castle, Indiana on September 13, 1928. Adopted as an infant, he spent his childhood moving frequently throughout his namesake state. At 14 he moved to Indianapolis in order to attend Arsenal Technical High School, known for its strong arts curriculum. After graduating he spent three years in the U.S. Air Force and then studied at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Skowhegan School of Sculpture and Painting in Maine, and the Edinburgh College of Art in Scotland. In 1956, two years after moving to New York, Indiana met Ellsworth Kelly, and upon his recommendation took up residence in Coenties Slip, where a community of artists that would come to include Kelly, Agnes Martin, James Rosenquist, and Jack Youngerman had studios. Indiana, like some of his fellow artists, scavenged the area’s abandoned warehouses for materials, creating sculptural assemblages from old wooden beams, rusted metal wheels, and other remnants of the shipping trade that had thrived in Coenties Slip. The discovery of 19th century brass stencils led to the incorporation of brightly colored numbers and short emotionally charged words onto these sculptures as well as canvases, and became the basis of his new painterly vocabulary. Although acknowledged as a leader of Pop, Indiana distinguished himself from his Pop peers by addressing important social and political issues and incorporating profound historical and literary references into his works. In 1964 Indiana accepted Philip Johnson’s invitation to design a new work for the New York State Pavilion at the New York World’s Fair, creating a 20-foot EAT sign...
    Category

    1970s American Modern Abstract Prints

    Materials

    Paper, Ink, Screen

  • Joyce T. Nagel Monoprint "Spring/Daffodils" Signed Dated
    Located in Detroit, MI
    "Spring/Daffodils" captures the essence of the colors of spring and its meaning by choosing Daffodils, the first large common flower of the season that is so welcomed after a long hard mid-west winter. Flowers, also, are an iconic choice of subject matter for many artists from the Dutch Masters and their large vases of flowers to Alex Katz and his mammoth portraits of "flowers." Some of Manet's last paintings that were exquisitely rendered were of the common flowers lilacs and roses. Joyce Nagel...
    Category

    1980s American Modern Still-life Prints

    Materials

    Paper, Ink

You May Also Like
  • Modern Dancers
    By Mick Micheyl
    Located in London, GB
    'Modern Dancers', pastel, ink and gouache on fine art paper by French artist, singer and sculptor, Mick Micheyl (1964). Two elegant young men are depicted in a graceful dancing pose, arms outstretched, their lithe bodies so agile and limber. Perhaps one of the dancers was her friend, Philippe, to whom the painting is dedicated on the bottom. The dedication says: 'For you Philippe, all my friendship'. Signed: 'Mick Micheyl'. The work has been newly framed and glazed after having been acquired in the S. of France. It is in fair vintage condition commensurate with age showing minor blemishing on the paper. Upon request a video of the piece can be provided. Dimensions with Frame: H 75 cm / 29.5" W 61 cm / 24" Dimensions without Frame: H 56 cm / 22" W 42 cm / 16.5" About the Artist: Mick Micheyl (1922 - 2019) was born in Lyon and had a busy and rewarding artistic career as a singer, producer, reviewer, metal sculptor, artist. After having received training at the School of Fine Arts in Lyon she became a painter and decorator in the theatre but then commenced a career in the musical activities of a theatrical troupe. She won the ABC competition in Paris in 1949 with a song, Le Marchand de Poésie, which she composed herself. She then performed in many cabarets: L'Échelle de Jacob, Harlequin and Liberty's. In the 1950s she was one of the most important French cabaret singers of that period. One of her titles, 'Un Gamin de Paris', became one of the French standards and also performed by Yves Montand and Robert Clary...
    Category

    1960s Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Gouache, Paper, Pastel, Ink

  • "Enchanted" Watercolor on Paper, Figurative Nude Portrait, Forest, Framed
    Located in New York, NY
    Painting: Ink and Watercolor on Paper, Framed Dimensions: 30 in x 22 in, Framed 35 in x 28 in Unique Signed on Verso, includes a certificate of authenticity. Elena Chestnykh was bor...
    Category

    2010s Contemporary Nude Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Paper, Ink, Watercolor

  • "Pretty Girl" Figurative Painting, Vibrant, Nude, Watercolor on Paper, Framed
    Located in New York, NY
    Painting: Ink and Watercolor on Paper, Framed Dimensions: 10 in x 13.5 in, Framed 17 in x 21 in Unique Signed on Verso, includes a certificate of authenticity. Elena Chestnykh was b...
    Category

    2010s Contemporary Nude Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Paper, Ink, Watercolor

  • "Duchándome, May 28th", Watercolor Diptych, 2018
    By Celso José Castro Daza
    Located in Miami Beach, FL
    Duchándome, May 28th by Celso Castro-Daza From the Duchándome Series Watercolor and ink on an archival paper Individual size: 19.5 in. H x 13.75 in. W Sheet Size: 19.5 in. H x 27.5 i...
    Category

    2010s Contemporary Nude Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Archival Paper, Archival Ink, Watercolor

  • Untitled (Abstract Female Nude), 1963, Ian Hornak — Painting
    By Ian Hornak
    Located in Auburn Hills, MI
    Original painting on archival paper, circa 1963. Paper Size: 29.5 x 21 inches. Provenance: Estate of Ian Hornak, East Hampton, New York. Notes: Created during Hornak’s undergraduate...
    Category

    1960s Modern Nude Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Archival Paper, Watercolor

  • Portrait of a woman - Original Drawing In Tempera and Watercolor - 20th Century
    By Tibor Gertler
    Located in Roma, IT
    Portrait of a woman is a beautiful artwork realized by Tibor Gertler. Original drawing in tempera and watercolor. In good condition. Not signed. This artwork represents a nude woma...
    Category

    Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Watercolor, Tempera

Recently Viewed

View All