Hope for the Future
Charles Wilbert White American
White sought to create representational art that would connect with the public as well as advocate for racial, economic, and social justice. Dedicated to promoting civil rights, he gravitated to printmaking early in his career. Here, White evoked Michelangelo’s Pietà in both arrangement and theme. A somber woman regards the viewer while cradling her child. Her arms and hands are exaggerated, providing the baby with both protection and support. Visible through the window is a bare tree with a noose, signifying danger and possible death in the outside world. This print was made while White was an artist-in-residence at Howard University. He later accompanied his wife, the artist Elizabeth Catlett, to Mexico City, where they worked at the politically progressive Taller de Gráfica Popular.
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