Young Buck

Hale Woodruff American
ca. 1938
Not on view
Among the most influential African American artists of the twentieth century, Woodruff created this print during his tenure as professor of art at Atlanta University. The confident and succinct lines that Woodruff executed to depict this young man’s handsome face evoke the direct carving of African wood sculpture. Simultaneously, the man’s full features and heroic proportions recall pre-Columbian—specifically Olmec—sculpture, which Woodruff knew from his time studying art in the mid-1930s in Mexico City.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Young Buck
  • Artist: Hale Woodruff (American, Cairo, Illinois 1900–1980 New York)
  • Date: ca. 1938
  • Medium: Linocut
  • Dimensions: 6 3/4 × 5 5/8 in. (17.1 × 14.3 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Gift of Reba and Dave Williams, 1999
  • Object Number: 1999.529.202
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

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