Skip to main contentProvenanceThe artist
Margo Pollins Schab, Inc., New York, New York
Terra Foundation for the Arts Collection, Chicago, Illinois, 1995
Published References
Rockwell Kent
(American, 1882–1971)
The Lovers
1928
Wood engraving on cream-tan paper
Plate: 6 9/16 x 10 1/16 in. (16.7 x 25.6 cm)
Sheet: 12 1/8 x 15 in. (30.8 x 38.1 cm)
Mat: 16 x 20 in. (40.6 x 50.8 cm)
Sheet: 12 1/8 x 15 in. (30.8 x 38.1 cm)
Mat: 16 x 20 in. (40.6 x 50.8 cm)
Credit LineTerra Foundation for American Art, Daniel J. Terra Collection
Object number1995.40
Copyright© Plattsburgh State Art Museum, Rockwell Kent Gallery and Collection
SignedIn graphite, lower right (beneath image): Rockwell Kent
InterpretationAgainst a uniform expanse of black, seen either as flat tone or a limitless sky, a seated man protectively embraces his sleeping companion in Rockwell Kent's The Lovers. The nude couple appear to be alone, yet connected in their own universe. The dramatic composition emphasizes the figures' solid monumentality while creating a graceful design from their interwoven upper bodies and extended legs. Exploiting the stark contrasts characteristic of the woodcut medium, Kent selected details to remain in relief, carving out surrounding areas of the wood block so that certain forms would print as spotlit highlights on each body; he also carefully defined the textures of the stony bed and three fronds of the fern at right.
By the time Kent made this print, he had already received considerable acclaim for the striking illustrations in his books about his wilderness adventures to Alaska, South America's Tierra del Fuego, and Greenland. These works helped establish him as a leading graphic artist in the 1920s and 1930s. The Lovers is one of many woodcuts in which Kent depicted one or two figures isolated in the world.
By the time Kent made this print, he had already received considerable acclaim for the striking illustrations in his books about his wilderness adventures to Alaska, South America's Tierra del Fuego, and Greenland. These works helped establish him as a leading graphic artist in the 1920s and 1930s. The Lovers is one of many woodcuts in which Kent depicted one or two figures isolated in the world.
Margo Pollins Schab, Inc., New York, New York
Terra Foundation for the Arts Collection, Chicago, Illinois, 1995
Published References
Kent, Rockwell and Carl Zigrosser. Rockwellkentiana: Few Words and Many Pictures. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1933. No. 23 (Z. 23), p. 97.
Jones, Dan Burne. The Prints of Rockwell Kent. A Catalogue Raisonné. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1975. No. 23, p. 25.
Jacobowitz, Ellen S. and George H. Marcus. American Graphics 1860–1940, Selected from the Collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. (exh. cat., Philadelphia Museum of Art). Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1982. No. 83, pp. 86–87.
Sharp, Ellen et al. Master Prints of Five Centuries, The Alan and Marianne Schwartz Collection. (exh. cat., The Detroit Institute of Arts). Detroit, Michigan: The Detroit Institute of Arts, 1990. No. 49, p. 76.
Jones, Dan Burne. The Prints of Rockwell Kent. A Catalogue Raisonné. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1975. No. 23, p. 25.
Jacobowitz, Ellen S. and George H. Marcus. American Graphics 1860–1940, Selected from the Collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. (exh. cat., Philadelphia Museum of Art). Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1982. No. 83, pp. 86–87.
Sharp, Ellen et al. Master Prints of Five Centuries, The Alan and Marianne Schwartz Collection. (exh. cat., The Detroit Institute of Arts). Detroit, Michigan: The Detroit Institute of Arts, 1990. No. 49, p. 76.