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Elizabeth CatlettOne of the most important American artists of the past century, Elizabeth Catlett is honored as a foremother by subsequent generations. In the United States and in Mexico, where she resided for over sixty years, she produced an unparalleled body of politically charged and aesthetically compelling graphic, and sculptural images that were grounded in what she regarded as the historically based necessity to render visible that which had not been the subject of art.
She followed the advice of Grant Wood, her graduate school mentor, that she “take as her subject what she knew best” as she dedicated herself to making art primarily for African American – and later Mexican – audiences, determined to give voice to the enduring dignity, strength, and achievements of black women and other oppressed peoples. What Catlett knew were the trials and tribulations of being an African American woman in the pre-Civil Rights era. "I decided that I was going to work with the problems of black women," she once told the National Visionary Leadership Project , which preserves the stories of notable African American leaders. "I was going to try to make people see them as beautiful, dignified, strong people instead of, as Ralph Ellison says, 'invisible.'" Catlett once said that the purpose of her work was to “present black people in their beauty and dignity for ourselves and others to understand and enjoy.” Sharecropper calls attention to the tribulations of tenant farming—a system in which rent for the land is paid by the farmer with a part of the crop, creating an impossible-to-escape cycle of debt—while also offering a heroic portrait of an anonymous woman. As a sculptor and printmaker, Catlett blended figurative and abstract traditions with social concerns and maintained a deep belief in the democratic power of printed art to reach a large audience. Her printmaking practice included woodcut, screenprint, lithography, and, most importantly, linoleum cut. |
Linocut and printmaking styling
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Linocut, also known as lino print, lino printing or linoleum art, is a printmaking technique, a variant of woodcut in which a sheet of linoleum (sometimes mounted on a wooden block) is used for a relief surface. A design is cut into the linoleum surface with a sharp knife, V-shaped chisel or gouge, with the raised (uncarved) areas representing a reversal (mirror image) of the parts to show printed. The linoleum sheet is inked with a roller (called a brayer), and then impressed onto paper or fabric.
Along with Scu;pture this medium of art making, Linocut, was a signature style of Elizabeth Caltett Linocut has a very distinctive artistic style consequences to how it creates ie carving and printing from a piece of Linoleum. below are some characteristics
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Assignment
As a sculptor and printmaker, Catlett blended figurative and abstract traditions with social concerns. She wanted product important artwork that highlighted and spoke to the empowerment of ppl. She was interested in the idea of printmaking as it was a medium that could reach and impact a wide audience.
In celebration of Mrs Catlett’s art and her important messages we are going to create a portrait of someone you believe to be “IMPORTANT” or Someone whom deserves to highlight/ celebrated like Mrs Elizabeth Catlet and create a Linocut style graphic in illustrator. In this project we will be starting off creating a series of black shapes for the shadows that will create a high contrast stencil like graphic. From here we then take the pencil tool and overlap that stencil graphic with a series of stylized cross contour lines to mimic the style of Linocut prints.
In celebration of Mrs Catlett’s art and her important messages we are going to create a portrait of someone you believe to be “IMPORTANT” or Someone whom deserves to highlight/ celebrated like Mrs Elizabeth Catlet and create a Linocut style graphic in illustrator. In this project we will be starting off creating a series of black shapes for the shadows that will create a high contrast stencil like graphic. From here we then take the pencil tool and overlap that stencil graphic with a series of stylized cross contour lines to mimic the style of Linocut prints.
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Assignment Requirments
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Tutorial |
