Untitled (Nellie Mae and Joe Looking into Heaven)
Nellie Mae Rowe
American, 1900–1982

Details
Title
Untitled (Nellie Mae and Joe Looking into Heaven)
Artist/Maker
Nellie Mae Rowe (American, 1900–1982)
Date
1980
Medium
Crayon, colored pencil, and pencil on paper
Dimensions
18 x 24 inches
Credit
Bequest of Dr. Margaret Sommerville and Jim Sommerville
Accession #
2006.145
On View
Currently not on view
Rowe depicts herself seated in a red chair with her nephew, Joe Brown Sr., who was the son of her older sister Minerva. Rowe settled in Vinings after Brown had begun to make a life there, and when her first husband died, she stayed with Brown and his family until she remarried. She pays tribute to their lifelong friendship through the warm colors of this work, which reflect the glow of a setting sun. A glimpse of heaven emanates from the western corner of the sky, beckoning with its flowering field and rising phoenix, a symbol of spiritual rebirth.
Image Copyright
© Estate of Nellie Mae Rowe/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
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