1952

Mother and Children

American, 1924 - 2001

Biggers, a painter and muralist, is celebrated for the complexity of his compositions and the distinction of his draftsmanship. This rare lithograph exemplifies both qualities. Modeled with energetic strokes of litho crayon and scratchwork highlights, three children are enfolded in the interlocking geometry of a mother's embrace, pressing their bodies against the boundaries of the composition in a clockwise circuit, and creating an image that is both fierce and tender. One of a small group of lithographs portraying African American women, Mother and Children was created after Biggers spent a summer studying lithography and etching at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.