Paul
1965
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
lithograph (stone) in black on white Arches paper
Dimensions
sheet: 25.1 x 24.4 cm (9 7/8 x 9 5/8 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Dorothy J. and Benjamin B. Smith
Accession Number
1983.18.215
Art Historical Context
Ruth Asawa's *Paul* (1965) is a lithograph created in black ink on fine white Arches paper, a intimate 25.1 x 24.4 cm. This print, now housed in the National Gallery Art's Department of Modern Prints and Drawings (CG-W), exemplifies Asawa's exploration beyond her renowned wire sculptures into the precise world of printmaking. Produced during the vibrant mid-1960s art scene, it reflects the era's interest in minimalist forms and bold contrasts, inviting viewers to ponder its enigmatic title subject through subtle tonal nuances. Lithography on stone, as used here, is a 19th-century technique pe...
About the Artist
Ruth Asawa
Ruth Asawa (1926–2013), born Ruth Aiko Asawa in Norwalk, California, as the fourth of seven children to Japanese immigrant farmers Umakichi and Haru Asawa, grew up on a truck farm where she honed her artistic eye sketching natural forms in the sand. During World War II, her family endured separation under Japanese American internment; while most were held at Rohwer Relocation Center in Arkansas—wh...