Elizabeth Catlett, Sharecropper

AmericasNorth AmericaMexicoMexico CityModern WorldPrintmakingAll VideosWomen in Art
Written By AQ

Speaker: Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank

A powerful image

This video examines Elizabeth Catlett's powerful linocut print, "Sharecropper," created after her move to Mexico City in 1946 to work at the Taller de Gráfica Popular. Doing a formal analysis, we highlight the thoughtful artistic choices made by this important woman artist in the mid-20th century. The work, a significant example of the linocut printmaking process, features a single Black woman and showcases Catlett's deliberate style.

Elizabeth Catlett, Sharecropper, 1952

Published 1968–70, linocut printed in green and black. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC. Photo: © Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank

Video chapters

0:00 Visual Analysis of Elizabeth Catlett's Sharecropper

0:37 Composition

1:18 Line

1:41 Texture

2:29 Color

2:59 Social Context

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