Jacob Lawrence

American, 1917 - 2000

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See all 13 works of art
The image displays bold blocks of color and defined lines creating an abstract scene. A large, angular figure on horseback is prominently featured, with sharp lines forming the shape of a horse's head. Swirled and curved shapes to the left suggest people in multicolored garments, with green lines resembling trees or foliage. The use of flat colors and geometric forms creates an abstract quality, while the figures' postures and attire imply movement and gathering.
Jacob Lawrence, Lou Stovall, Dondon from The Life of Toussaint L’Ouverture, 1992, color screenprint on wove paper, Gift of Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson, 2023.145.29

Dondon from The Life of Toussaint L’Ouverture

Jacob Lawrence, Lou Stovall · 1992 · color screenprint on wove paper ·  Accession ID  2023.145.29
The image features strong angular shapes and curved lines, creating an abstract composition. A figure of a coachman with exaggerated triangular shoulders and a tall hat drives a pair of blocky blue horses. In the background, smaller human figures with rounded shapes and crescent tools appear to be engaged in farm work. Elongated vertical shapes on the sides could resemble reeds or tall grass.
Jacob Lawrence, Lou Stovall, Amistad Research Center, The Coachman, 1990, color screenprint on wove paper, Gift of Alexander M. and Judith W. Laughlin, 1993.30.3

The Coachman

Jacob Lawrence, Lou Stovall, Amistad Research Center · 1990 · color screenprint on wove paper ·  Accession ID  1993.30.3
This print displays curved and angular shapes in bold colors that create a scene reminiscent of a cavalry charge. There appear to be two rows of overlapping horses, all positioned closely together and facing the right. The horses are in shades of white, gray, and black. Each horse has a rider on its back. The riders wear coats in alternating shades of red and brown, and they all wear tall teal hats with darker blue brims. They have curved teal-and-green swords hanging from their sides. The features of the riders are simplified, and we can only see one rider's face, which is entirely black except for one visible white eye. The ground beneath the horses is brown, with thin stripes of blue, red, white, and yellow shooting up in some areas, looking like colorful flames. The sky in the background is a pale blue-gray color.
Jacob Lawrence, Lou Stovall, Amistad Research Center, Toussaint at Ennery, 1989, color screenprint on wove paper, Gift of Alexander M. and Judith W. Laughlin, 1993.30.2

Toussaint at Ennery

Jacob Lawrence, Lou Stovall, Amistad Research Center · 1989 · color screenprint on wove paper ·  Accession ID  1993.30.2
The image consists of bold blocks of color, including blue, brown, green, and red, in an interlocked pattern. Upon further inspection, abstract human shapes become visible, made with flat sections of these bright colors. The people are intertwined, appearing to be engaged in a battle. Some of the people have pink skin and wear shades of blue, while others have skin in shades of brown and wear green or gray. Many of the people seem to hold sharp black weapons covered with drops of red. They seem to be on a brown ship, with some of the people pushing others overboard towards the swirling blue and black waves at the bottom of the print. Some of these people grab long red and yellow lines that hang down across the scene; some of these long shapes look like ropes, while others look like long arms. The sky behind the people and the ship is made up of patches of lilac purple, gray, and white.
Jacob Lawrence, Lou Stovall, Spradling-Ames, Revolt on the Amistad, 1989, color screenprint on wove paper, Gift of Lou Stovall, Artist/Printmaker, 1993.23.1

Revolt on the Amistad

Jacob Lawrence, Lou Stovall, Spradling-Ames · 1989 · color screenprint on wove paper ·  Accession ID  1993.23.1
The artwork features abstract shapes and lines forming a scene. Dominated by vertical, blade-like forms, the composition includes figures with simplified features. A central figure in red is on horseback, with a white horse in the foreground. Surrounding figures are cloaked in dark shades. The vivid colors are present.
Jacob Lawrence, Lou Stovall, Amistad Research Center, The Capture, 1987, color screenprint on wove paper, Gift of Alexander M. and Judith W. Laughlin, 1993.30.1

The Capture

Jacob Lawrence, Lou Stovall, Amistad Research Center · 1987 · color screenprint on wove paper ·  Accession ID  1993.30.1
The artwork features a composition of geometric shapes and bold lines. A group of figures is gathered in an interior space, with a focus on a central table where individuals are engaged in writing or signing documents. The setting includes a booth in the background. The figures are stylized and simplified, with bright colors such as blue, red, and yellow dominating the scene.
Jacob Lawrence, Ives-Sillman, Lorillard, A Division of Loews Theatres, Inc., The 1920's...The Migrants Arrive and Cast Their Ballots, 1974, color screenprint on wove paper, Corcoran Collection (Gift of Lorillard Tobacco Company, 1975), 2015.19.2591

The 1920's...The Migrants Arrive and Cast Their Ballots

Jacob Lawrence, Ives-Sillman, Lorillard, A Division of Loews Theatres, Inc. · 1974 · color screenprint on wove paper ·  Accession ID  2015.19.2591
The artwork features dynamic, angular shapes and lines that create an abstract representation of athletes in motion. Four figures are depicted in a relay race, with colors such as blue, red, orange, and green accentuating their athletic uniforms. The curved lines of the track suggest movement and speed, while the figures' positions convey a sense of competition and energy. The background consists of a simplified track design with green and gray tones, reinforcing the athletic theme.
Jacob Lawrence, Olympic Games, 1971, color screenprint on wove paper, Reba and Dave Williams Collection, Gift of the Print Research Foundation, 2008.115.429

Olympic Games

Jacob Lawrence · 1971 · color screenprint on wove paper ·  Accession ID  2008.115.429
Three people with dark brown skin lie on a marigold-orange ground that extends toward a high horizon line in this stylized, vertical painting. An ant and two other bugs cling to a screen of tall, moss-green, flame-shaped leaves that span the width of the composition and separate us from the people. Beyond the leaves, the large soles and rounded toes of the woman’s feet are almost half the height of the painting. She holds a rifle against her body, which is enclosed in a mostly round, periwinkle-blue shape with narrow strips of cranberry-red around the top, left, and bottom. Her head is tilted sharply to our left, her ear near her shoulder so her face points upward in profile. Her nose and mouth are created with thin strokes of golden yellow. Her closed eyes are marked with slivers of white, and a raspberry-pink scarf covers her hair. A slender green stem with pointed leaves rises at an angle next to her head. Beyond her, a man lies with his body curled, so his body curves toward us with his head to our right. He wears only black, shin-length pants. His bald head rests on crossed arms, and his ankles are also crossed. His closed eyes are painted with white and his features outlined in gold, like the woman. Just behind him, a woman curls around an object held in one large hand. Fields of pink and blue, in the same shades as the other woman, read as a blue cap and skirt, and a pink wrap or blanket. A round, brown shape within an off-white field appears to be a baby cradled close to her head. One tall, blade-like leaf grows up behind her shoulders. The orange ground comes to a point to our left of center and dips down to our right. The area beneath the straight horizon line is filled in with midnight blue, nearly black. Above, a sapphire-blue band fills the top quarter of the composition. The artist signed and dated the lower right, “Jacob Lawrence 67.”
Jacob Lawrence, Daybreak - A Time to Rest, 1967, tempera on hardboard, Anonymous Gift, 1973.8.1

Daybreak - A Time to Rest

Jacob Lawrence · 1967 · tempera on hardboard ·  Accession ID  1973.8.1
Painted and drawn with areas of flat, vibrant colors, we look slightly down onto a bustling street market in this stylized, horizontal scene. It is created almost entirely with shades of sky and royal blue, buttercup and harvest yellow, caramel and ash brown, and spearmint green with only a few touches of brick and crimson red. The people all have black-colored skin with their features outlined in white. They sit, stand, gather, or walk along stalls lining the street that extends away from us. Some wear caps, headdresses, or are bareheaded. They wear wraps or togas that mostly leave arms bare. Some carry goods on their heads, sit and eat, hold children and babies, or reach for wares. One person holds a white chicken and another leads a couple of goats along the street. The inverted, narrow V of the street meets the shallow V of the rooflines of the buildings or awnings of the stalls just above the center of the composition. The upside-down triangular filling the distant area between the rooflines has a dark yellow ground where densely packed tables, carts, buildings, people, and several chickens are tiny in scale. A strip of blue along the top edge of the painting suggests the sky above. The artist signed and dated the work in graphite in the lower right corner, “Jacob Lawrence 64.”
Jacob Lawrence, Street to Mbari, 1964, glue tempera, opaque watercolor and graphite on wove paper, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. James T. Dyke, 1993.18.1

Street to Mbari

Jacob Lawrence · 1964 · glue tempera, opaque watercolor and graphite on wove paper ·  Accession ID  1993.18.1
The artwork features an arrangement of rounded shapes resembling fruit, such as grapes and tomatoes, contained within a large bowl. Interspersed among these shapes are stylized, mask-like faces with prominent eyes and mouths. The composition blends these elements. The overall look is intricate, with an integration of familiar objects in an abstract form.
Jacob Lawrence, Still Life With Masks, 1959, brush and black ink over graphite on wove paper, Corcoran Collection (Museum Purchase with funds from the Women's Committee of the Corcoran Gallery of Art), 2015.19.3250

Still Life With Masks

Jacob Lawrence · 1959 · brush and black ink over graphite on wove paper ·  Accession ID  2015.19.3250

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