High School: Bride by Beth Lipman (Art Card)

About the Artist

Beth Lipman is an American artist who is best known for making still life sculptures out of glass. She recreates parts of still life paintings from the 1500s and 1600s in her sculptures.

About the Art

Bride is a five-tiered, 10-foot-tall still life sculpture. It is made from more than 500 glass pieces. It was inspired by objects in paintings from the NCMA’s collection.

Look Closely

• Look at each layer carefully. What do you see on each layer? What is recognizable to you? Are there any items that repeat?
• Look at the size of each layer. Is the spacing between tiers regular or irregular? What happens to these items as they get closer to the bottom?

Discuss

• The artist named this sculpture Bride. Why do you think she selected the title Bride instead of something related, such as wife? What do you see in the sculpture that reminds you of a bride or a wedding? How are labels like bride connected to identity, sense of self, and how people perceive others?
• Why do you think any direct reference to a groom is missing?
• Why do you think Lipman makes the sculpture evolve from orderly to messy as it moves from top to bottom? What message do you think she was trying to send?

Reflect

In an interview Lipman discussed the “chasm between the ideal and reality.” How do you see this chasm in the sculpture?

Learn More

Visit the “Learn More” sidebar to find more information about the work of art and artist and find other works of art that relate to the subject matter, media, and techniques used by the artist.