Struggle

Many artists of African descent have explored the theme of struggle in their work. Elizabeth Catlett’s lithograph Pensive shows a person with a despondent expression who seems to be depressed. In his woodcut The Escape, Michael K. Williams shows a boy on a bicycle riding away from low income housing, trying to escape poverty. These pieces both depict characters that want to escape from their day-to-day struggles. Even though Bob Blackburn himself struggled on account of limited funding, he opened the Printmaking Workshop and made it possible for artists like Williams and Catlett to have autonomy to explore new forms of creative expression. The Printmaking Workshop allowed artists to escape their struggles by creatively expressing themselves.