Artwork Page for The Four Seasons

Details / Information for The Four Seasons

The Four Seasons

1990

John Biggers

(American, 1924–2001)
Culture
America
Medium
lithograph printed in black and brown
Support
Arches Cover white wove paper
Measurements
Image: 57.2 x 78.8 cm (22 1/2 x 31 in.); Sheet: 63 x 86.8 cm (24 13/16 x 34 3/16 in.)
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund 2003.33
Edition
76; 3 artist's proofs; 2 Hand Graphics Impressions
Copyright
© John T. Biggers Estate / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY, Estate Represented by Michael Rosenfeld Gallery
This artwork is known to be under copyright.
Location
Not on view
Print

Description

Because of the African origins of the "shotgun house"-a narrow, rectangular house popularized in the southern United States-Biggers used it as a symbol of continuity within African American culture. In this piece, he weaves the repetitive architecture of the shotgun house with quilt patterns. The pervasive porches foster communal life and neighborhood connectivity. In his vision, humans, animals, and tools alike take on universal meanings: iron pots stand in for the womb, while train tracks recall the Underground Railroad, as well as the ongoing divide between neighborhoods.

The Four Seasons

1990

John Biggers

(American, 1924–2001)
America

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