Moon Masque

Moon Masque

Date: 1971

Material: oil and collage on canvas

Size: (104.1 x 76.4 cm)

Collection: Smithsonian American Art Museum

Moon Masque by Lois Mailou Jones was created in 1971. The painting consists of African themed patterns, bright colors and two silhouettes. The silhouette on the left appears to be male and the silhouette on the right appears to be female. In between the two silhouettes is a crying white Kwele mask from Zaire. The narrative that Jones is trying to convey in this painting is the loss of African heritage in the African-American community. The silhouettes, representing the African-American community, are split between the crying masks because Jones is insinuating that the absentisence of not knowing one's heritage brings a loss within the culture.