The Poet Laureate

1955

Leonard Baskin

Associated Names
Leonard Baskin

Artist, American, 1922 - 2000

The image features a stylized portrait of a person facing forward with a slight tilt to the left. The person's bust, including their shoulders and head, is shown. Their facial features are abstract with thick, black lines defining the eyes, nose, and mouth. The person's hair is short and adorned with a laurel wreath made of large, pointed leaves. They appear unclothed or draped in a simple garment, as indicated by bold lines outlining their upper body. The background is a plain, dark rectangular area contrasting with the neutral foreground, emphasizing the figure. The print appears on a textured surface, likely paper, complementing the stark black lines of the image.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    woodcut in black on linen-backed wove paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    image: 58.5 × 122 cm (23 1/16 × 48 1/16 in.)
    sheet: 95.4 x 132.5 cm (37 9/16 x 52 3/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1964.8.220

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Fern/O'Sullivan 1984, no. 257


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Lessing J. Rosenwald, Jenkintown, Pennsylvania; acquired 1964 by the National Gallery of Art

Associated Names

Bibliography

1984

  • Fern, Alan, and Judith O'Sullivan. The Complete Prints of Leonard Baskin: A Catalogue Raisonné, 1948-1983. Boston, Massachusetts: Little, Brown and Company, 1984, no. 257.

Inscriptions

lower left in graphite: Poet Laureate edition 25; lower right in graphite: Leonard Baskin

Markings

stamped lower right verso in black ink: 73 [circled]

Wikidata ID

Q65510699

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