Dancer
1975
20th Century
73 x 49 in. (185 x 124 cm)
Charles Robert Searles,
American,
(1937–2004)
Object Type:
PAINTINGS
Creation Place:
North America
Medium and Support:
Acrylic on canvas
Credit Line:
Purchased with funds provided by the Art Angels; Partial Gift of Barbara J. Bullock
Accession Number:
17-P-606
Searles’ first visit to West Africa in 1972 had a major impact on his work. He was intrigued by the way that Africans dressed. They did not pair solid pants with a patterned blouse as we would in Western culture, but instead mixed patterns to create completely unique combinations. By setting patterns next to each other in his paintings and sculptures, Searles incorporated these African influences.
Searles often listened to jazz as he worked, and music was an integral part of his life. In the 1970s, he played percussion with the Afro-American Dance Ensemble at the Ile Ife Cultural Center in Germantown. His dancer paintings were inspired by the Ile Ife dancers, with colorful visual repetitions evoking the rhythms of percussion.
Current Location:
Art Museum : Main Hallway
