© Lester F. Johnson
Interpretation
In the 1970s, Lester Johnson often focused his compositions on clusters of figures, seeking to capture the expressive movement of bodies in space. In works like this one, figures bend and contort to fit into the frame, their bodies layered and intertwined as in the jostle of the city streets. Although they are tightly packed, no two pairs of eyes meet; instead, each gazes out beyond the picture’s frame, suggestive of the way the modern city provides limitless distraction. Johnson’s detailed annotations in the print’s margins provide insights into his approach to color and composition. They are likely instructions to the workshop that produced the printed edition of this work.
Information
- Title
- Five Figures
- Object Number
- 2018-255
- Maker
- Lester F. Johnson
- Medium
- Etching with extensive hand coloring and marginal notations
- Dates
- ca. 1970s
- Dimensions
- 44.4 × 36.8 cm (17 1/2 × 14 1/2 in.)
- Credit Line
- Bequest of Duane E. Wilder, Class of 1951
- Type
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