Elijah
White began making etchings while living in Los Angeles in the late 1960s. He was attracted to the technique as it allowed him to create prints with the same delicacy as his drawings. Here, White portrays a young boy peering over the top of a wall, with only his head and the tips of his fingers visible. The spare composition allows the viewer to focus on the child’s emotions and his penetrating gaze. White used crosshatching to produce the background’s dramatic lighting and minimal, yet textured, surface. The print, like many of his late works, possesses a quiet power, while the title recalls biblical associations.
Artwork Details
- Title: Elijah
- Artist: Charles Wilbert White (American, Chicago, Illinois 1918–1979 Los Angeles, California)
- Printer: Joseph Mugnani (American, born Italy, 1912–1992)
- Printer: Hugo Mugnani (American, 1916–2001)
- Date: 1969
- Medium: Etching and drypoint
- Dimensions: Plate: 12 3/4 x 21 3/4 in. (32.4 x 55.2 cm)
Sheet: 18 x 27 9/16 in. (45.7 x 70 cm) - Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Estate of Martin Birnbaum and Rogers Fund, Transfer from Modern, 1970
- Object Number: 1970.744.4
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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Charles Wilbert White
1970
Charles Wilbert White
1969
Charles Wilbert White
1951
Multiple artists/makers
1969
Multiple artists/makers
1969
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