Untitled (Girl with Pigtails)

Though quite small, this bust-length portrait of a young, African American girl conveys a sweetness without sentimentality. The textured treatment of the surface creates a sophisticated play of light and shadow. This treatment enlivens the girl’s expression, creating a complex psychology that shifts, as children do, from tender innocence to a cautious reserve.

The artist, August Savage, was a leader in the Harlem Renaissance, an early 20th-century African American cultural movement responsible for some of the nation’s most important creative and intellectual productions. Because Savage focused most of her artistic energy on teaching, her own work is typically small and only rarely cast in bronze due to her limited budget and time.