Thomas Becket

1965

Jirí Altmann

Associated Names
Jirí Altmann

Artist, Czech, born 1942

The image displays bold black and white shapes and lines arranged in abstract figures and forms. An intricate interplay between negative and positive spaces is created, resulting in a stylized silhouette resembling a human profile at the center. The upper part features arched abstract text reading "THOMAS BECKET," curving over the central figure. Below, a clenched hand emerges from the abstract shapes. The composition evokes the outlines of a theatrical mask or a crowned figure.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    woodcut on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Gerald Cerny

  • Dimensions

    plate: 56 x 31.9 cm (22 1/16 x 12 9/16 in.)
    sheet: 70 x 41.9 cm (27 9/16 x 16 1/2 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2000.166.2

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Gerald Cerny, Washington, D.C.; gift to NGA, 2000.

Associated Names

Inscriptions

lower right in graphite: Jiri Altmann 65; lower left in graphite: 14/30; in woodcut: THOMAS BECKET; verso in graphite lower left by later hand, encircled; 1; lower right: 07207

Wikidata ID

Q76345735

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