Elephant Ride - Edith Neff (NEW)
Elephant Ride, Edith Neff

Elephant Ride

Artist

Edith Neff

Nationality

American

Heritage

European American

Medium

Offset Lithograph

Date

1993

Dimensions

21 1/2 x 25 inches

Edition Size

70 prints in this edition

Provenance

Brandywine Workshop and Archives

Location

Philadelphia, PA

About the Work

From the Artist 

Over the years I have done a number of works, both paintings and pastels involving circus themes and circus animals. A recent painting, “Circus at the end of City”, 1991 includes a dancing bear, and I have dealt with elephants before in pastels, both in “Elephant act”, 1985, and “circus Elephants” in 1982. In the past two years I have started to do monotypes and this summer I have done a series involving animals and parades. My monotypes are somewhat looser and more direct than my large paintings or pastels. For my first print, I wanted to do something related to the monotypes I have been drawing recently, but also to the themes in my larger work. 

Some of the scenes in this print (my initial black and white photos that I drew from) were taken at a small carnival in Roosevelt Park in south Philadelphia earlier this summer. I work by centering elephant scenes or elements in each work, and so some of the other figures or animals were added to the composition.
—From Brandywine Workshop and Archives records, accessed 6-29-2021

A leading realist painter of her day, Edith Neff (1943–1995) was praised for her dynamic compositions, her sophisticated use of color, and her ability to portray drama in everyday life. She explored questions of race, gender, and identity, probing the social and cultural fabric of Philadelphia. Working from photographs she took herself, Neff made self-portraits as well as pictures of her family, fellow artists and colleagues, friends, neighbors, and students. The city itself was central to her work: its public buildings, playgrounds, parks, pools, schools, and beaches were frequent settings.
—Excerpted from https://woodmereartmuseum.org/experience/exhibitions/edith-neff, accessed 7-6-2021

About the Artist

Edith Neff

Philadelphia-based artist Edith Neff received her BFA in painting from the Philadelphia College of Art (now University of the Arts). In 1978, she joined the faculty at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), Philadelphia, where she taugh...

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