A Celebration of Great African-American Artists of the 20th Century
Chicago-born mural and portrait artist Charles White was affiliated with the Art Institute of Chicago, Howard University, and the Art Students League of New York. A long-time resident of New York City, White traveled to Mexico in the 1940s to study with David Siqueiros and Diego Rivera. In 1972 he was elected a full member of the National Academy of Design, only the second African-American to be so honored since 1927. Charles White's life and work have been credited with inspiring many African-American artists, including Romare Bearden and Jacob Lawrence.
Affiliation: Howard University, Otis Art Institute
Affiliation: Pratt Institute, University of Washington
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Head of a Woman III, 1979 Charles White executed Head of a Woman III the year of his death. Following a trip to Mexico and exposure to the Mexican muralists in the 1940s, the esteemed artist shifted his subject matter from leaders to ordinary men and women. This emphasis on the power of the individual portrait abided for the rest of his career. A technical master, White used crosshatching to create tangible density and texture. Here, through delicately etched patterning, White defines the recognizable imagery of his subject's head. As we look from her hair toward the left margin of the print, the marks slowly dissolve into an abstract network of lines. |
Romare Bearden
Selma Burke
Elizabeth Catlett
Alex Corbbrey
Sam Gilliam
Lois Mailou Jones
Paul F. Keene, Jr.
Gwen Knight-Lawrence
Jacob Lawrence
Samella Lewis
Hale Woodruff