WPA
A sculptor and painter, Lawson studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and was the first African American to win their prestigious James Nelson Raymond travel fellowship, which he used to visit countries in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East in 1938–39. The title of this lithograph may refer to the federal arts projects run under the Works Progress Administration, or to projects that employed individuals in construction and other fields during the Depression. Lawson’s worker, equipped with a sickle and shovel, appears as a symbol of the strength of American labor, and is rooted in diverse stylistic sources in African and ancient art.
Artwork Details
- Title: WPA
- Artist: Clarence Lawson (American, Beaumont, Texas 1909–1988 Chicago, Illinois)
- Date: ca. 1938
- Medium: Lithograph
- Dimensions: 10 7/8 × 7 1/16 in. (27.6 × 18 cm)
- Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Gift of Reba and Dave Williams, 1999
- Object Number: 1999.529.110
- Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art
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