#sylviasnowden

Sylvia Snowden is an African-American artist, who lives and works in Washington D.C. 

“I do not believe in an artist’s statement for me because it seems to narrow the viewer’s reaction and direct him/her to draw specific limitations. In my work, I hope to evoke stimulating responses.” - Sylvia Snowden 

Snowden decided to make portraits of people around her all of whom she encountered in her Shaw neighborhood in Washington, D.C. They look abstract and don’t see faces in these portraits. The drama of Snowden’s subjects, and the sheer grace of their ability to survive and thrive, references the strength and delicate beauty in the human figure that her art celebrates. From dark and earthy tones to the vibrant and artificial, Snowden’s command of chromatic range is the fuel of her expressionistic style. She encapsulates the psychological essence of her subjects; their deliberations, triumphs, angst, and joy are all laid bare.

Sylvia Snowden holds both Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees from Howard University (Washington, D.C.). Snowden has taught at Cornell University (Ithaca, NY), Howard University (Washington, D.C.), and Yale University (New Haven, CT). In 2018, Snowden’s work was notably featured in the landmark exhibition Magnetic Fields: Expanding American Abstraction, 1960-Today at the National Museum for Women in the Arts (Washington, D.C.). Her works have been shown globally in Chile, the Netherlands, Ethiopia, Australia, the Bahamas, France, Mexico, Italy and Japan.

Image 1: Sylvia Snowden, ‘Brown - Yo II’, 1989

Image 2: Sylvia Snowden, ‘M Street - Francine 11 (Haberon Series)’, c. 1978