Reclining Woman
Seydou Keïta Malian
Not on view
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.
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