The elegant figures in American artist Judith Shea's work reflect her background as a fashion designer. The cast bronze dress and overcoat in Without Words are so lifelike in form that they actually serve as surrogates (substitutes) for human figures. The two bronze forms and the fragment of what appears to be an ancient marble head together reveal Shea's fascination with contemporary life and ancient cultures. The seemingly unrelated figures, the puzzling title, and the ambiguous meaning of this work suggest that the artist's intention is not to provide definite answers, but to imply the possibility of a story and provoke the viewer's imagination.

I like space that never stops. . . . Black is like that. Holes and boxes mean secrets and shelter.--Lee Bontecou One of the few women artists to achieve broad recognition in the 1960s, Lee Bontecou captured the public's attention in 1959, when she was 28, with a group of constructions, or assemblages, created with scrap fabric stretched over welded steel frames. Her reliefs, which simplify and emphasize the differences in practice between painting and sculpture, are attached to a frame and project out from the wall. Untitled No. 38 is a rather menacing assembly of scavenged canvas, wire, hardware, and saw blades. Inside its protruding openings are scraps of velvet that make the interior spaces seem almost endless. Bontecou has discussed the effect that the threat of nuclear war has had on her work. She describes members of her generation as having been "born into that situation in which we can end it all!" The combination of beauty and darkness in Untitled No. 38 suggests her frequently quoted aspiration to "glimpse some of the fear, hope, ugliness, beauty, and mystery that exists in us all and which hangs over all the young people of today."

Living in Our Time Activity Title: Our Expressions/Their Expressions Theme: Who Am I? Age: Grades K–4 Overview: Tour participants examine, imitate, and interpret the expressions of subjects in painting and sculpture, as they discover that works of art can convey emotion and feeling. This activity could be used in the Walker Art Center galleries, Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, or in the classroom with a selection of images from Art Collector. The artworks included in the activity are suggestions only and instructors may choose different artworks to accompany the discussion questions. Procedure: Setting the Scene What can our facial expressions tell about us? Can we show how we are feeling without saying a word? How? Can you tell what a friend is thinking by just looking at your friend? Let’s practice interpreting our expressions, and then we will try to imitate the expressions found in some artworks. Begin Looking Choose a partner and sit down, facing each other. (You may need to assist with this or assign partners.) Show your partner how you felt when you got up this morning. Show your partner your angriest look. Now show your happiest look. Take turns showing different expressions and have your partner guess how you are feeling. What colors would you use to show some of these feelings? (Give examples such as happy, angry, and sad.) Now let’s look at some paintings or sculptures of people. I would like you all to stand in front of this artwork and imitate its expression. Ask How do you think the person in this work is feeling? What is the person thinking about? Now let’s look even more closely. What colors do you see? Why do you think the artist chose these colors? How do the materials, textures, lines, shapes, or other elements in this artwork help explain how the subject is feeling, or what the artist was feeling when he or she made the work? These elements are clues to help us understand what emotion or idea an artist is trying to express in an artwork. Conclusion Artists express emotion in many ways. Some are easier to imitate than others. Which artwork was the easiest to imitate? Which was the hardest? Which was the easiest to figure out? Is there a piece we looked at today that you need more time to think about? If you could have any artist we’ve seen today create a portrait of you, which artist would you choose? Why? Props: None Tips: For more sophisticated viewers, include works in which the “expression” might be more difficult to decipher. For example: Lee Bontecou  Untitled No. 38  1961 Willem de Kooning  Woman  circa 1952 Yoko Ono  Cut Piece  1965 Judith Shea  Without Words  1988