Sketchbook

Charles WhiteWW-1937-015090

1937·Charcoal, pastel, ink, graphite, pen and inks and watercolor on ivory wove paper·Overall: 26 × 20.5 cm (10 1/4 × 8 1/8 in.)

<p>The earliest works in this sketchbook date from White’s days at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he enrolled in 1937. It features approximately 50 drawings in watercolor, pen and ink, graphite, various charcoals, combinations of prepared grounds with colored dry media, and pen and ink or dry brush over ink or watercolor wash. He frequently added historical notes, technical descriptions, and generic titles (e.g., “sketch for block print,” “study for composition”) to his sketchbook drawings, giving insight into his interests and processes. Several pages feature studies of African sculptures, with notations on their cultural origins. White also made a quick, penetrating pencil portrait of poet Langston Hughes, recorded during a lecture on April 1, 1938, at the Chicago Public Library.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 1937
Medium: Charcoal, pastel, ink, graphite, pen and inks and watercolor on ivory wove paper
Dimensions: Overall: 26 × 20.5 cm (10 1/4 × 8 1/8 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Charles White

Artist

Charles White

Printmaking

Charles White was an American figurative artist working primarily in charcoal, ink, and lithography. His monumental drawings of African American workers and families, executed with meticulous technique and formal restraint, combined social realism with a modernist sensibility. Active from the 1940s onward, White's work addressed labor, dignity, and racial identity during the postwar period through large-scale portraiture and narrative compositions. His graphic works demonstrated both technical mastery and a commitment to accessible public art.

Chicago, IL, USA

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