Petroglyph

Art Historical Context

**Petroglyph** by Lala Eve Riv, created between 1935 and 1942, captures the ancient artistry of Native American rock carvings through a precise lithograph on paper. Measuring 37.2 x 28.3 cm (with frame at 41.3 x 33.5 cm), this work is part of the *Index of American Design*, monumental Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA). during the Great Depression, the Index employed artists to document everyday American folk art, crafts, and cultural artifacts, preserving them in detailed renderings for future generations. Rivol's lithograph exemplifies the project's mission to celebrate indigenous heritage alongside colonial and vernacular designs. Petroglyphs—images pecked into stone by prehistoric peoples—hold profound cultural significance, often depicting animals, humans, or spiritual symbols from thousands of years ago. By translating these enduring motifs onto paper, Rivol bridged ancient traditions with modern documentation techniques, using lithography's ability to produce fine, reproducible lines that mimic the carvings' tactile quality. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's CG-W Department, this piece invites visitors to ponder America's layered history. It reminds us how WPA artists like Rivol not only sustained livelihoods but also safeguarded vanishing cultural treasures, making the whispers of ancient rocks accessible today.

About the Artist

Lala Eve Rivol · 1913–1996

Lala Eve Rivol is an artist about whom very little has been documented in readily accessible art historical sources. Her nationality, dates, training, and the full scope of her artistic output remain unclear, placing her among the many artists — often women — whose careers were not systematically recorded or preserved in the mainstream institutional record. Where her work has been catalogued, it ...