Full Description
Charles White (1918-1979), one of the twentieth century's most accomplished and innovative draftsmen, was also highly regarded as an educator and activist. His life spanned the Great Depression and the WPA era as well as the civil rights movement and the early days of feminism, movements that he not only actively participated in but also shaped. This catalog celebrates the artist's remarkable career and legacy and the generous gift of artworks to The University of Texas from Susan G. and Edmund W. Gordon, lifelong friends of White and his wife, Frances.
In addition to essays on each of the twenty-three works of art owned by The University of Texas and an interview with Edmund Gordon and his son, Ted Gordon, the catalog includes first-person tributes to White from artists, writers, actors, activists, and students whose lives he touched, including fellow artists Margaret Burroughs and Alice Neel; singer Harry Belafonte; poet Langston Hughes; and former students David Hammons, Kent Twitchell, and Kerry James Marshall.
Contents
Foreword
Greg Fenves
Part I: Short Essays
Sidewalk of New York (ca. 1938-1942), by John P. Murphy
Can a Negro Study Law in Texas? (1946), by Rudolph H. Green
We Have Been Believers (1949), by Carter E. Foster
General Moses and Sojourner (Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth) (1954), by Phillip A. Townsend
I've Been 'Buked and I've Been Scorned (1956), by Edmund T. Gordon
Awaken from the Unknowing (1961), by Edmund W. Gordon
Young Woman (1964), by John P. Murphy
Harvest (1964), by Esther Adler
Head (1967), by Phillip A. Townsend
Elijah (1969), by John P. Murphy
Wanted Poster Series #6 (1969), by Phillip A. Townsend
Wanted Poster Series #10 (1970), by Veronica Roberts
Homage to Sterling Brown (1972), by Cherise Smith
Harriet (1972), by Ashley James
Vision (1973), by John P. Murphy
Prophet II (1975), by Esther Adler
I Have a Dream (1976), by Jared Quinton
Love Letter III (1977), by Jared Quinton
Sound of Silence II (1978), by Veronica Roberts
At the Table (1978), by John P. Murphy
Study of Heads (1979), by Phillip A. Townsend
Part II: Interview with Dr. Edmund W. Gordon and Edmund T. Gordon
Excerpts from an Interview with Drs. Edmund W. Gordon and Edmund T. "Ted" Gordon
Conducted and Edited by Cherise Smith; Transcribed by Lynne Maphies
Part III: Sphere of Influence
Compiled, with Biographical Introductions, by Veronica Roberts
Benny Andrews (1930-2006)
Romare Bearden (1911-1988)
Harry Belafonte (b. 1927)
John Biggers (1924-2001)
Margaret Burroughs (1915-2010)
Elizabeth Catlett (1915-2012)
Michael Ray Charles (b. 1967)
Eldzier Cortor (1916-2015)
Ernest Crichlow (1914-2005)
W. E. B. Du Bois (1868-1963)
Philip Evergood (1901-1973)
Edmund W. Gordon (b. 1921)
David Hammons (b. 1943)
Lorraine Hansberry (1930-1965)
Langston Hughes (1902-1967)
Rockwell Kent (1882-1971)
Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000)
Norman Lewis (1909-1979)
Kerry James Marshall (b. 1955)
Alice Neel (1900-1984)
Gordon Parks (1912-2006)
Sidney Poitier (b. 1927)
Paul Robeson (1898-1976)
May Stevens (b. 1924)
Kent Twitchell (b. 1942)
Vincent Valdez (b. 1977)
Hale Woodruff (1900-1980)
Acknowledgments
Glossary of Printmaking Terms
Contributors
Photo Credits
