The Builders
Allen engaged the contemporary subject of industrial labor using the traditional printmaking technique of etching. Etching can facilitate a powerful chiaroscuro effect through extreme contrasts of light and shadow, which allowed Allen to imbue his prints of construction workers with a sense of theatricality and heroism.
Artwork Details
- Title: The Builders
- Artist: James Edmund Allen (American, Louisiana, Missouri 1894–1964 New York)
- Date: 1932
- Medium: Etching
- Dimensions: plate: 10 x 12 inches (25.4 x 30.5 cm)
sheet: 13 1/4 x 17 inches (33.7 x 43.2 cm) - Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Gift of James E. Allen Family and Mary Ryan, 1984
- Object Number: 1984.1200.2
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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