Revolutionary

1972

Revolutionary, 1972. Wadsworth Jarrell (American, b. 1929). Color screenprint; image: 83.9 x 67.4 cm (33 1/16 x 26 9/16 in.); sheet: 83.9 x 67.4 cm (33 1/16 x 26 9/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Karl B. Goldfield Trust 2021.15 © Wadsworth Jarrell Wadsworth Jarrell was a founding member of AfriCOBRA (African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists), a Chicago-based artists’ collective founded in 1968 to forge a distinctly Black form of contemporary art. Revolutionary features the vibrant tones and rhythmic text-based forms for which he is best known. Reinterpreting a painting of the previous year, the print depicts activist Angela Davis using words and phrases from her speeches, including “revolution” and “Black is beautiful.” Her figure dominates the composition in a way that Jarrell describes as “an attempt to capture the majestic charm, seriousness, and leadership of an astute drum major for freedom.” Wadsworth Jarrell reinterpreted the photograph on which this print is based so that Angela Davis wears a fashion design by the artist Jae Jarrell, his wife, entitled Revolutionary Suit (1968).