Dox Thrash was a prolific printmaker who was born on this day in 1893 and settled in Philadelphia in the late 1920s. In 1937, at the height of the Great Depression, he became the first Black artist to work for the Fine Print Workshop of Philadelphia, a branch of the Works Progress Administration, a federal relief program designed to employ thousands of artists and share their work with the public. Learn more about the artist in the recently digitized publication “Dox Thrash: An African American Master Printmaker Rediscovered.”
“Monday Morning Wash,” around 1938–39, by Dox Thrash
Happy birthday to Samella Lewis, who was born on this day in 1924. Lewis is an internationally celebrated artist, curator, editor, and trailblazing art historian who wrote the first survey of African American art history. Her devotion to education is reflected in this stoic image of a young boy clasping a book.
“Boy on Bench,” 2007, by Samella Lewis
“Because I am a woman and know how a woman feels in body and mind, I sculpt, draw, and print women, generally Black women.” —Elizabeth Catlett
During her lifetime, Elizabeth Catlett achieved international fame for her powerful explorations of race, class, and her own African American female identity. Learn more about Catlett here.
“Sharecropper,” 1952, by Elizabeth Catlett © Catlett Mora Family Trust / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Born on this day in 1896, Caroline Durieux was an American printmaker, painter, and educator. Best known for her satirical lithographs, Durieux spent most of her life in New Orleans and Mexico, but she attended graduate school at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia.
“Queen of the Carnival at the Boston Club,” 1946, by Caroline Durieux. "Lovers,“ 1974, by Caroline Durieux. ”Ponce de Leon Beauty Salon,“ by Caroline Durieux. ”Park in Rio,“ 1943, by Caroline Durieux.
Today marks a new year and a fresh start. We wish you a very happy 2022!
“Sunrise and Moon,” 1927, by Howard Norton Cook
In 1894 the first Sino-Japanese War erupted between the Empire of Japan and China’s Qing dynasty over control of the Korean Peninsula, with many battles occurring at sea. Kobayashi Kiyochika prolifically documented Japan’s triumphs during the war, in both prints, as seen here, as well as in illustrations he created for newspapers. This three-part woodcut portrays a Chinese warship being overtaken by Japanese forces in the Yellow Sea. Sharp, whitecapped waves crash against the sides of the colliding ships, adding to the sense of chaos as Chinese sailors attempt to escape the sinking vessel. On view in our installation “Seascapes."
”Japan Wins a Great Victory in a Naval Battle against the Chinese Fleet near Phungtao (Chōsen Hōtō kaisen ni okeru Nisshin kaisen waga gun daishōri no zu),“ 1894, by Kobayashi Kiyochika
Hear from exhibition curator Laurel Garber on how American artist Emma Amos pushed etching to its limits—and brought “American Girl” to life. Read “Look Closely: Emma Amos & the Perfect Print” here.
“American Girl,” 1974, by Emma Amos © Emma Amos; Courtesy RYAN LEE Gallery, New York
In her scenes of bathers and women in positions of repose, Emma Amos pushed against the static nature of the etching plate in order to give the figures dynamism even as they remain calmly poised. The thin white gap that separates the women in “To Sit (With Pochoir),” for instance, shows where Amos physically cut her printing plates around the shape of the female body. For these prints, as elsewhere, Amos stretched and reconstituted her materials to give dimension and body to her subjects. See this print on view in “Emma Amos: Color Odyssey.”
“To Sit (With Pochoir),” 1981, by Emma Amos © Emma Amos; Courtesy RYAN LEE Gallery, New York
Much of Jack Malotte’s work calls attention to the invasive impact of military test flights and nuclear experiments on the natural environment of the Nevada desert where he lives. The title of this print is undoubtedly a reference to the Screaming Eagles, a designation assigned to the United States Army 101st Airborne Division.
“Screaming Eagle Blues,” 1989, by Jack Malotte
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was born on this day in 1864. Lautrec’s first prints were posters that he began designing in 1891. The following year, when he started to make limited-edition lithographs, he continued to employ the eye-catching techniques of advertising art by using bright colors and bold outlines. He often used a spattered mist of color to add snap to his prints, an effect particularly noticeable here in the green dress. See this print on view in our European Art galleries.
“Flirt (An Englishman at the Moulin Rouge),” 1892, by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
In his printmaking, collage, glass, and weaving work, Joseph Feddersen explores the interrelationship between urban landscape and the natural environment. He incorporates contemporary symbols and imagery into the visual vocabulary developed by his Colville (Okanagan and Lakes) ancestors, who are renowned for using complex geometric patterns in baskets and textiles inspired by their surroundings. In this barely discernible self-portrait, Feddersen’s head subtly emerges from a densely patterned veil that suggests both woven fabric and pixilated forms generated by a computer.
“Self-Portrait,” 1989, by Joseph Feddersen
Wishing you and your feline friends a purrfect National Cat Day!
“Cats in the Moonlight,” 1966, by Tomoo Inagaki
