Revolutionary

© Wadsworth Jarrell

Revolutionary

Currently not on view

Revolutionary,

1972

Wadsworth Jarrell, born 1929, Albany, GA; active Cleveland, OH
2017-200
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More Context

<p>In the late 1960s, Jarrell cofounded AfriCOBRA (African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists), an artists’ collective formed in Chicago with the intent of exploring and defining a global black aesthetic grounded in a shared African heritage. This vibrant, agitprop screenprint derives from Jarrell’s iconic <em>Revolutionary (Angela Davis)</em> (1971, Brooklyn Museum), painted in homage to the renowned political activist and intellectual. As in the painting, Davis wears a "revolutionary suit" designed by Jarrell’s wife, Jae, which incorporated a cartridge shoulder belt. Davis speaks into a microphone, with words and phrases—"love," "resist," "I have given my life to the struggle"—as well as the capital letter B (for "black," "bad," and "beautiful"), spilling into and completely filling the pulsating surface, which is executed in high-keyed "Kool-Aid" colors intended to evoke an uplifting response in the viewer. </p>

More About This Object

Online Collection Sets: African American Prints

Information

Title
Revolutionary
Dates

1972

Maker
Wadsworth Jarrell
Medium
Screenprint
Dimensions
82.5 × 66 cm (32 1/2 × 26 in.) frame: 92.1 × 73.7 × 5.1 cm (36 1/4 × 29 × 2 in.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase, Felton Gibbons Fund
Object Number
2017-200
Place Made

North America, United States

Signatures
Titled, numbered, signed and dated, in graphite, along bottom: REVOLUTIONARY / 14/300 / Wadsworth Jarrell / 1972
Culture
American
Type
prints, screen prints
Materials
wove paper
Techniques
screen printing
Subject
geometric patterns, women, words, iconography, portraits

Acquired directly from the artist

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The Museum regularly researches its objects and their collecting histories, updating its records to reflect new information. We also strive to catalogue works of art using language that is consistent with how people, subjects, artists, and cultures describe themselves. As this effort is ongoing, the Museum’s records may be incomplete or contain terms that are no longer acceptable. We welcome your feedback, questions, and additional information that you feel may be useful to us. Email us at collectionsinfo@princeton.edu.

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