This close-up monochromatic drawing depicts artist Elizabeth Catlett later in life. The artist adds visible wrinkles and lines on her own face, suggesting a life lived. Her hair is short, curly, and slightly disheveled, adding to a sense of casualness. She wears glasses with a distinct, somewhat angular frame. Her expression is calm and contemplative, not overtly happy or sad; however, it’s her eyes with a glimmer of determination that conveys Catlett’s resolve. Born as Alice Elizabeth Catlett, also known as Elizabeth Catlett Mora, she was an American and Mexican sculptor and graphic artist best known for her depictions of the Black-American experience in the 20th century, which often focused on the female experience. She was born and raised in Washington, D.C., to parents working in education, and was the grandchild of formerly enslaved people. It was difficult for a black woman then to pursue a career as a working artist. Catlett devoted much of her career to teaching. However, a 1946 fellowship awarded allowed her to travel to Mexico City, where she settled and worked with the Taller de Gráfica Popular for twenty years and became head of the sculpture department for the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas. Her activism regarding a railroad strike in Mexico City led to an arrest in 1949 and being barred from entering the United States as an "undesirable alien." She was unable to return home to visit her ill mother before she died. In 1962, Catlett renounced her American citizenship and became a Mexican citizen. In 1971, after a letter-writing campaign to the U.S. State Department by colleagues and friends, she was issued a special permit to attend an exhibition of her work at the Studio Museum in Harlem. During her lifetime, Catlett received numerous awards and recognitions including First Prize at the 1940 American Negro Exposition in Chicago and a NAACP Image Award in 2009.
Self-Portrait by Elizabeth Catlett (American-Mexican) - Silver pencil on black paper / 1999 - Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (Philadelphia) #womeninart #art #womensart #femaleartist #womanartist #drawing #pafa #ElizabethCatlett #Catlett #portraitofawoman #PennsylvaniaAcademyoftheFineArts
