On Beauty

On Beauty

by

Zadie Smith

The Hyppolite Painting Symbol Analysis

The Hyppolite Painting Symbol Icon

The painting of a nude Black woman by the famous Haitian painter Hyppolite represents how Black culture has its own proud aesthetic traditions of beauty and how academia focusing on the work of white men doesn’t have a monopoly on the concept of beauty. The professors Howard and Monty spend so much time arguing over the relative merit of the white painter Rembrandt that neither of them ever considers the possibility that a Black painter like Hyppolite could equal or even surpass Rembrandt. Their wives, Kiki and Carlene, may lack academic training, but their open-mindedness helps them see the value in Hyppolite’s painting. Kiki herself knows what it’s like for Black female beauty to go unappreciated, since she is used to people like Warren “flirting” with her because they believe she’s too old or unattractive (in their view) to actually have sex.

The fact that Kiki and Carlene bond over a mutual appreciation of a nude Black woman may also be a sign of a repressed queer romance between them that neither has a chance to act on. Kiki entertained the thought of having a female partner back when she was younger, and Carlene seems to express regret at the fact that she never imagined any life for herself other than one in which she is married to a man. Kiki and Carlene keep their admiration of the Hyppolite painting secret, just as they repress many other elements of their lives in order to be the type of women their families expect them to be.

The Hyppolite Painting Quotes in On Beauty

The On Beauty quotes below all refer to the symbol of The Hyppolite Painting. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
The Nature of Beauty Theme Icon
).
The Anatomy Lesson: Chapter 5 Quotes

‘She’s fabulous,’ replied Kiki, only now taking the time to look at her properly. In the centre of the frame there was a tall, naked black woman wearing only a red bandanna and standing in a fantastical white space, surrounded all about by tropical branches and kaleidoscopic fruit and flowers. Four pink birds, one green parrot. Three humming birds. Many brown butterflies. It was painted in a primitive, childlike style, everything flat on the canvas. No perspective, no depth.

Related Characters: Kiki (speaker), Howard, Monty, Carlene
Related Symbols: The Hyppolite Painting
Page Number: 174
Explanation and Analysis:
The Anatomy Lesson: Chapter 6 Quotes

‘It’s true that men – they respond to beauty . . . it doesn’t end for them, this . . . this concern with beauty as a physical actuality in the world – and that’s clearly imprisoning and it infantilizes . . . but it’s true and . . . I don’t know how else to explain what –’

Related Characters: Howard (speaker), Kiki, Claire
Related Symbols: The Hyppolite Painting
Page Number: 207
Explanation and Analysis:
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The Hyppolite Painting Symbol Timeline in On Beauty

The timeline below shows where the symbol The Hyppolite Painting appears in On Beauty. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
The Anatomy Lesson: Chapter 4
The Nature of Beauty Theme Icon
Race and Identity Theme Icon
...a naked Black woman by Hyppolite (a Haitian painter) and asks if she likes the Hyppolite painting . Kiki does. Carlene mentions she got it in Haiti herself before she met Monty.... (full context)
On Beauty and Being Wrong: Chapter 1
The Value of Family Theme Icon
...holds a family meeting with Victoria, Michael, and Amelia. In the note, Carlene leaves her Hyppolite painting to Kiki. Monty acknowledges that the note is in Carlene’s handwriting, but Michael questions whether... (full context)
On Beauty and Being Wrong: Chapter 8
Politics in Academia Theme Icon
...students like Chantelle, Kiki herself has no grudge against the Kippses. She notices that the Hyppolite painting of the woman is gone and asks where it went. Monty gets suspicious and says... (full context)
On Beauty and Being Wrong: Chapter 12
The Nature of Beauty Theme Icon
...have died. All of a sudden, Kiki sees something that causes her to hyperventilate: the Hyppolite painting of the naked woman. Kiki gets furious and goes to Levi, demanding that he explain... (full context)
On Beauty and Being Wrong: Chapter 13
The Value of Family Theme Icon
...Howard where Kiki lives now. The children speculate about what Kiki will do with the Hyppolite painting —whether she will keep it, sell it and keep the proceeds, or sell it and... (full context)