Martin Luther King, Jr.
John Wilson
(American, 1922–2015)
James Stroud
(American, born in 1958)
2002
Medium/TechniqueSoft and hard ground etching with spit bite aquatint, scraping, and burnishing, this impression drawn upon with charcoal and abraded
DimensionsSheet: 91.4 x 76.2 cm (36 x 30 in.)
Credit LineLee M. Friedman Fund and Living New England Artists Purchase Fund, created by The Stephen and Sybil Stone Foundation
Accession number2005.634
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After printing this impression, Wilson made a number of alterations to the sheet, adding charcoal around the neck and scratching into the paper to achieve highlights in the chest, forehead and temple—allowing him to visualize the changes he would need to make in the copper plate. The result is not just a step towards the final product, but an extraordinarily beautiful work in its own right.
InscriptionsLower right in graphite pencil: Wilson 02
Lower right in graphite pencil: 9AProvenanceCenter Street Studio (Milton, MA); from whom purchased by MFA, 14 December 2005.
CopyrightEstate of John Wilson
