A Cloud No Bigger Than a Man's Future

1955

Herbert Lawrence Block

Associated Names
Herbert Lawrence Block

Artist, American, 1909 - 2001

This is an illustration of a hand-shaped cloud with the label "UNKNOWN EFFECTS OF SUPERBOMBS" above a city. The image shows a stylized, oversized hand cloud reaching towards an urban skyline. In the background, there is a hazy gradient. There is a figure standing on the edge of the city. The artwork uses black and white contrast typical of political cartoons, conveying a message about the impacts of nuclear weapons. The phrase "A CLOUD NO BIGGER THAN A MAN'S FUTURE" highlights the theme of uncertainty and danger.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    graphite and brush and black ink, heightened with white

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 56 x 36.8 cm (22 1/16 x 14 1/2 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1964.8.341

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Purchased from the artist in 1960 by Lessing J. Rosenwald; gift to NGA, 1964.

Associated Names

Inscriptions

lower left: HERBLOCK / @1955 THE WASINGTON POST COL.; across top underlined: A CLOUD NO BIGGER THAN A MAN'S FUTURE

Wikidata ID

Q64574066

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