Untitled (Blue Plant Woman)
Nellie Mae Rowe
American, 1900–1982
Details
Title
Untitled (Blue Plant Woman)
Artist/Maker
Nellie Mae Rowe (American, 1900–1982)
Date
1978–1982
Medium
Crayon, colored pencil, and pencil on paper
Dimensions
13 3/4 x 11 inches
Credit
Gift of Judith Alexander
Accession #
2003.235
Location
Currently not on view
The central winged figure in this drawing is a “haint,” a Gullah word for a type of evil spirit. “Haint blue” is a pale, green-tinted shade of blue meant to mimic the appearance of sky or water and is often seen in Rowe’s work portraying ghosts or spirits. This haint is calmly perched on a log with a growing plant. The fluid nature of this figure shows that the boundaries of identity in Rowe’s work often blur and merge, like the haint and the plant.
Image Copyright
© Estate of Nellie Mae Rowe/High Museum of Art, Atlanta.