The West
c. 1930
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
woodcut
Dimensions
block: 336 x 240 mm sheet: 429 x 298 mm
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Reba and Dave Williams Collection, Gift of Reba and Dave Williams
Accession Number
2008.115.3283
Art Historical Context
Clara MacGowan's *The West* (c. 1930) is a compelling woodcut print that captures spirit of American expansion and landscape during the early 20th century. on a block measuring 336 x240 mm (sheet: 429 x 298 mm), this work exemplifies the bold, graphic style of relief printing, where the artist carves away negative space from a wood block, leaving raised lines inked and pressed onto paper. MacGowan, an active printmaker in this era, contributed to a vibrant tradition of American prints that made art accessible amid the Great Depression. Woodcuts like this one gained prominence in the 1930s, as...