Harangue
This print is a wood engraving, a type of woodcut that is carved from a particularly hard piece of end-grain wood. The hardness of the block makes it possible for the artist to produce very sharp, crisp lines, as one sees in the fine details of these figures and their clothing. It is also a medium that lends itself to strong chiaroscuro effects of light and dark, conducive to night scenes or dark interiors. Here, a group of men listen to the fiery rhetoric of a union organizer who gesticulates above them from a raised platform. His words, like a preacher's, hold their rapt attention, save for the man in the foreground who turns away to light a cigarette. As African Americans from the South migrated North in search of work, they joined the labor unions in large numbers, adding to their burgeoning power.
Artwork Details
- Title: Harangue
- Artist: Wilmer Angier Jennings (American, 1910–1990)
- Date: 1942
- Medium: Wood engraving
- Edition: 4/15
- Dimensions: 12 15/16 × 10 in. (32.8 × 25.4 cm)
- Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Gift of Reba and Dave Williams, 1999
- Object Number: 1999.529.70
- Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art
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