John Brown
Artist
John Steuart Curry
(American, 1897 - 1946)
Date1939
MediumLithograph on paper
DimensionsOverall: 14 3/4 × 10 7/8 inches (37.47 × 27.62 cm)
Credit LineGift of Robert M. White II in honor of his father, L. Mitchell White
Object numberF97-2/42
Signedpencil lower right margin
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionThe central figure stands with arms outstretched, mouth open, and beard blowing in the fierce wind. To his right is an enslaved person, and behind him are stagecoaches and a tornado.Gallery LabelJohn Brown:
· Passionate abolitionist
· Considered a hero by some and a murderer by others
o Killed five pro-slavery men in Kansas
o Attacked federal arsenal in Virginia
o Wanted to steal weapons for armed slave uprising
· Convicted of treason and executed in 1859
John Steuart Curry treats Brown like a force of nature. Brown gestures forcefully while his hair and beard crackle with electric energy. Curry even makes a visual parallel between Brown and the tornado swirling in the background. How would you depict John Brown?
Copyright© John Steuart Curry Estate / Kiechel Fine Art
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