Images of Labor
Jacob Lawrence
For seven decades, and in spite of changing artistic styles, Lawrence maintained a commitment to representing the figure and scenes of African American life that is unparalleled in the history of art. Carpenters and builders, readers in libraries, and consumers: the artist is renowned for his images of productive people working in a progressive American society. The various figures in this work - a celebration of labor - interact smoothly despite their psychological isolation from each other. The city's inhabitants move within Lawrence's complex, energetic composition like cogs in a well-oiled machine. They embody the artist's social consciousness as an expression of hope and fellowship. Lawrence was awarded the Pennsylvania Academy's prestigious Founder's Day medal in 1997.
Artist
Date of Birth
(1917-2000)
Date
1980
Medium
Gouache on paper
Dimensions
25 1/4 x 18 1/4 in. (64.135 x 46.355 cm.)
Accession #
2004.20.40
Credit Line
The Harold A. and Ann R. Sorgenti Collection of Contemporary African-American Art
Copyright
© The Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation, Seattle / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Category
Subject
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