Peace

1956

Not on view

Returned to lender

This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.

Filled with earth tones offset by small bursts of vibrant color, Lawrence’s energetic composition commemorates the end of the War of 1812, which contained terrible ironies. Before the war’s final battle in New Orleans, the United States and United Kingdom had signed a peace accord (the Treaty of Ghent, which continued slavery), but the news had not yet reached Louisiana. Fresh new flowers emerge from cracks in this otherwise barren landscape, suggesting themes of renewal and regeneration. Like a few other panels in the Struggle series, the title of Peace is punctuated by a single word and not a quotation from a specific historical textual source.

Artwork Details

Overview

Exhibition History

Title: Peace
Artist: Jacob Lawrence (American, Atlantic City, New Jersey 1917–2000 Seattle, Washington)
Date: 1956
Medium: Egg tempera on hardboard
Dimensions: 12 × 16 in. (30.5 × 40.6 cm)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Courtesy of Bill and Holly Marklyn
Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art