Clarence DeShields Playing the Guitar
1931
Oil on wooden board
44” x 36”
The artist who painted this portrait knew DeShields well, and recorded his character and elegant disposition in her notes:
Clarence was very tall, and walked as if he were tied together with string. He had a most engaging wide, slow smile that went with his unfailing sense of amusement about the world in general.
In this large-scale oil portrait of DeShields, his sense of happiness and amusement as he is about to play a song on his guitar is evident through his slightly upturned lips, his sparkling eyes, and his sideways glance. Clarence DeShields was regarded as a member of the artist’s family, and was credited as the first to teach her the lyrics of, and meanings behind African American spirituals. It was noted that he brought special clothes for his portrait, and he wears a smartly pressed white shirt and a jacket.