David #300-5

Artist Carolyn DeMeritt American, born 1946

Date1992; printed 2002

MediumSilver-selenium-toned gelatin-silver print

DimensionsPaper: 20 7/8 x 19 7/8 in. (53 x 50.5 cm)
Image: 17 7/8 x 17 7/8 in. (45.4 x 45.4 cm)
Frame: 27 15/16 x 26 13/16 x 1 1/2 in. (71 x 68.1 x 3.8 cm)

ClassificationsPhotography

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the William R. Roberson Jr. and Frances M. Roberson Endowed Fund for North Carolina Art

Object number2005.5.1

On View

Not on view

Label TextIn sharply focused images, Carolyn DeMeritt empties out the greater confusion of life at large, allowing her subjects to assume a symbolic presence. Much of her work revolves around the human figure, and she focuses on creating portraits of people who have been underrepresented or are undergoing dramatic changes. She often interrelates the themes of adolescence and adulthood, sensitively portraying her subjects in poses that can be stark, perhaps unsettling, but always empathetic.

This work is from DeMeritt’s Broken Doll Series, which she began working on in 1992. The artist has stated in reference to this series, “For me, this work is primarily about how we all, both men and women, live our lives: We get hurt, we get scarred, we get knocked down—maybe physically, maybe emotionally¬¬—by events. We pick ourselves up, but eventually we look or feel a bit broken, a little worse for wear, like dolls. But hopefully, with some of our beauty and dignity intact, as I believe the dolls still have.”
{L. Dougherty, 2007]ProvenanceCreated North Carolina, 1992, printed 2002; collection of the artist; [Hodges Taylor Gallery, Charlotte, NC]; sold to NCMA, 2005.
Published ReferencesMichele Natale, "Portrait of 10 artists of the lens," Raleigh: The News and Observer (September 10, 2006), briefly discussed 3G.Exhibition HistoryRaleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "Contemporary NC Photography from the Museum's Collection," (part 1) September 3-November 5, 2006, illus. (b-w) brochure, unpaginated.

Winston-Salem, NC, Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA), "Contemporary North Carolina Photographs from the North Carolina Museum of Art," October 28, 2007-March 2, 2008.

Raleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "Prized Possessions," February 20-May 15, 2011.

Raleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, “You + Me,” April 8–September 3, 2017.

Raleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, “To Be Young: Coming of Age in the Contemporary” [Part 2], September 28, 2021-April 5, 2022.
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