James Lesesne Wells
Looking Upward
1928, printed later
Scroll
James Lesesne Wells
Looking Upward
1928, printed later
Physical Qualities
Linoleum cut, Sheet: 580 x 432 mm. (22 13/16 x 17 in.)
Image: 370 x 225 mm. (14 9/16 x 8 7/8 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Ruth and Jacob Kainen, Chevy Chase, Maryland
Object Number
1992.151
James Lesesne Wells was a prolific printmaker who worked in a variety of print processes, but favored linoleum cut and woodcut because they allowed him to create bold patterns and strong contrasts of light and dark. In "Looking Upward", a figure moves through the city, confidently balancing a group of buildings in his arms. As the angled
high-rises dynamically shift around him, those in his arms remain upright and sure. In "Aspiration", a group of abstracted figures in the rolling hills of the countryside gaze up at the light of the sun.
The Baltimore Museum of Art by gift, 1992; Jacob and Ruth Cole Kainen, Chevy Chase, MD
Morgan Dowty, BMA, "1939: Exhibiting Black Art at the BMA," June 13 - October 28, 2018.
James Smalls, The Baltimore Museum of Art, "Henry Ossawa Tanner and his Influence in America," June 7, 2006 - December 3, 2006.
James Smalls, The Baltimore Museum of Art, "Henry Ossawa Tanner and his Influence in America," June 7, 2006 - December 3, 2006.
Inscribed: across bottom in graphite: "11/20 "Looking Upward" James L. Wells '28"
