Mill Workers

ca. 1940

Not on view

A leading graphic artist and teacher, Wells popularized the medium of printmaking with linoleum. This linocut depicts mill workers on their lunch break with an industrial backdrop. Composed of stark forms rendered in black and white, the print showcases Wells’s direct, even blunt manner of cutting into linoleum and reveals his admiration of the printmakers associated with German Expressionism, such as Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. Workers ranked highly among the numerous and diverse subjects that Wells depicted over his long career. Due to the painful legacy of slavery, images of salaried labor resonated deeply in African American communities.

Artwork Details

Overview

Inscriptions and Markings

Provenance

Title: Mill Workers
Artist: James Lesesne Wells (American, Atlanta, Georgia 1902–1993 Washington, D.C.)
Date: ca. 1940
Medium: Linocut
Edition: 2nd impression from an unknown edition size
Dimensions: 15 1/2 × 12 13/16 in. (39.4 × 32.5 cm)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: Gift of Reba and Dave Williams, 1999
Object Number: 1999.529.181
Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

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