I Just Kept Pecking At It
Oliphant’s cartoons combine artistry with trenchant political commentary, both evident in this response to the fall of the Berlin Wall, which had been erected in 1961 by Communist East Germany to keep its own citizens from leaving. The wall fell on November 9, 1989, and this image appeared the next day. Two doves stand atop a concrete, graffiti-covered barrier contemplating a widening crack—the message being that persistent pressure applied by everyday people can eventually effect great change. Having moved to the United States in 1964 from his native Australia, Oliphant worked at the Denver Post and Washington Star and soon became recognized as a leading editorial cartoonist. From 1981, he operated independently, with his work appearing in over five hundred newspapers.
Artwork Details
- Title: I Just Kept Pecking At It
- Artist: Patrick Oliphant (American, born Adelaide, Australia, 1935)
- Date: November 10, 1989
- Medium: Pen and India ink with black chalk
- Dimensions: Sheet: 11 1/16 in. × 17 in. (28.1 × 43.2 cm)
- Classification: Drawings
- Credit Line: Gift of Susan C. Conway and Patrick Oliphant, 2014
- Object Number: 2014.290.14
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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