JAMES LESESNE WELLS (1902 - 1993)
Steel Mill II.

Linoleum cut on cream Japan paper, 1928-29. 203x254 mm; 8x10 inches, wide (full ?) margins. The 7th impression or proof, from an unknown edition. Signed, titled and inscribed "7 imp" in pencil, lower margin.

Steel Mill II is a wonderful example of the innovative printmaking from the Harlem Renaissance era. James Lesesne Wells's early career as a printmaker is characterized by his mastery of linoleum block printing. Many of Wells' block prints, like Workmen, The Negro Wage Earner and Builders, portray the everyday experience of working African Americans in bold, graphic compositions. This image is one of several prints that Wells made of the Lackawanna steel mills. An impression of Steel Mill I is in the collection of Museum of Modern Art. A modernist, Wells popularized subjects of workers well before the WPA era. Wells's artwork was published in leading Black periodicals like The Crisis and Opportunity, as well as in publications by writers Alain Locke, Marianne Moore, Willis Richardson and Carter Woodson.