Demented Tidal Wave
1972
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
lithograph in black on wove paper
Dimensions
sheet: 105.9 x 75 cm (41 11/16 x 29 1/2 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of June Wayne, in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art
Accession Number
1991.205.6
Art Historical Context
**Demented Tidal** (1972) is a striking lithograph in black ink on wove paper by June Wayne, measuring an impressive 105.9 x 75 cm. Created during a vibrant era of American printmaking, this large-scale work captures the artist's mastery of lithography—a planographic technique that allows for rich tonal contrasts and fluid lines drawn from grease crayon or tusche on stone or metal plates. The monochromatic palette intensifies the dramatic title, evoking a sense of overwhelming force, perhaps symbolizing chaos or emotional turmoil. June Wayne, a pioneering figure in mid-20th-century lithograph...
About the Artist
June Wayne
June Wayne (1918–2011) was a pioneering American printmaker, painter, tapestry innovator, and activist whose self-taught brilliance reshaped modern lithography and championed women in the arts. Born June Claire Kline on March 7, 1918, in Chicago to single mother Dorothy Kline—a fiercely independent Russian Jewish immigrant who fled pogroms—Wayne dropped out of high school at 15 to pursue art. Her ...