Artist at 84 Years Old197915 3/4 × 13"Oil on cardboardGift of Maurice C. and Patricia L. Thompson2003.20.70Painting depicts the bust of the artist against a green and floral background. The face, hair and neck are carefully painted, showing wrinkles and lines on the face of this venerable artist. His green shirt, trimmed in black, is more simply painted and the background is done flatly, in complete contrast to the face. 1543903187Sidney McLarenPaintingsCopyright for this work is under review.An inscription written under the painting, on lines carefully drawn by the artist reads "Sidney McLaren—Artist at 84 yrs. old. / Life is What One Makes it. / No Two Men Alike."JamaicaPaintings
portrait“In the yard in which I was living, one day I took a bit of cardboard and pencil and started to draw the house, trees, fencing, etc. After showing it around, people praised it, so I was more interested and discovered that my mental faculties started to work by my concentrating on art. If it pleases the Lord, my desire is to go on drawing and painting until I can do no more.” Sidney McLaren is one of the most respected self-taught artists of Jamaica. In this compelling portrait, he limned himself in grisaille with pencil and used colorful oils to fill in his shirt, the sky, and the landscape. While these bordering items are loosely and boldly rendered, the obvious care and concern he takes in his facial portrait is endearing. He signs it, “Sidney McLaren—Artist at 84 yrs. old. Life is What One Makes it. No Two Men Alike.”There is a strong legacy of self-taught artists who came to their creative activities late in life, often after years in the work force. Sometimes the artist articulates a God-driven urge to create; other times it is a rediscovery of a youthful impulse. Often, older artists record themselves, representing self-images of retained virility or growing frailty. In this contemplative self-portrait, respected Jamaican artist Sidney McLaren has depicted himself in grisaille, his graying visage set against a landscape of vivid color. He signed it, “Sidney McLaren—Artist at 84 yrs. old. Life is What One Makes it. No Two Men Alike.” McLaren’s engagement with artmaking seems to have been almost serendipitous: “In the yard in which I was living, one day I took a bit of cardboard and pencil and started to draw the house, trees, fencing, etc. After showing it around, people praised it, so I was more interested and discovered that my mental faculties started to work by my concentrating on art. If it pleases the Lord, my desire is to go on drawing and painting until I can do no more.”
Stacy C. Hollander, "Artist at 84 Years Old," exhibition label for Jubilation|Rumination: Life, Real and Imagined. Stacy C. Hollander, curator. New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2012.
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated with new research. Records are reviewed and revised, and the American Folk Art Museum welcomes additional information.
To help improve this record, please email photoservices@folkartmuseum.org19791979 2003 20 7 portrait“In the yard in which I was living, one day I took a bit of cardboard and pencil and started to draw the house, trees, fencing, etc. After showing it around, people praised it, so I was more interested and discovered that my mental faculties started to work by my concentrating on art. If it pleases the Lord, my desire is to go on drawing and painting until I can do no more.” Sidney McLaren is one of the most respected self-taught artists of Jamaica. In this compelling portrait, he limned himself in grisaille with pencil and used colorful oils to fill in his shirt, the sky, and the landscape. While these bordering items are loosely and boldly rendered, the obvious care and concern he takes in his facial portrait is endearing. He signs it, “Sidney McLaren—Artist at 84 yrs. old. Life is What One Makes it. No Two Men Alike.”There is a strong legacy of self-taught artists who came to their creative activities late in life, often after years in the work force. Sometimes the artist articulates a God-driven urge to create; other times it is a rediscovery of a youthful impulse. Often, older artists record themselves, representing self-images of retained virility or growing frailty. In this contemplative self-portrait, respected Jamaican artist Sidney McLaren has depicted himself in grisaille, his graying visage set against a landscape of vivid color. He signed it, “Sidney McLaren—Artist at 84 yrs. old. Life is What One Makes it. No Two Men Alike.” McLaren’s engagement with artmaking seems to have been almost serendipitous: “In the yard in which I was living, one day I took a bit of cardboard and pencil and started to draw the house, trees, fencing, etc. After showing it around, people praised it, so I was more interested and discovered that my mental faculties started to work by my concentrating on art. If it pleases the Lord, my desire is to go on drawing and painting until I can do no more.”
Stacy C. Hollander, "Artist at 84 Years Old," exhibition label for Jubilation|Rumination: Life, Real and Imagined. Stacy C. Hollander, curator. New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2012.
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated with new research. Records are reviewed and revised, and the American Folk Art Museum welcomes additional information.
To help improve this record, please email photoservices@folkartmuseum.org