Two Trains

Artist Barbara Earl Thomas (American, born 1948)

Date2022

MediumCut black paper on hand-printed colored papers

Dimensions55 × 26 in. (139.7 × 66 cm)

ClassificationsContemporary art

Credit LineMuseum purchase

Object number2023.21

On View

Not on view

DescriptionThis artwork is a portrait of African American playwright August Wilson (1945–2005), made of cut and layered paper (black paper on top of papers in various colors). The work has a vertical orientation and is set within a plain black frame.
The image is of a man in three-quarter view, depicted nearly life-sized from the knees up, looking into the distance to the viewer’s right. He wears a bowtie and a jacket ornamented with florals, with a red element tucked into his pocket and a hummingbird perched just below. At the bottom of the image are two books: Two Trains Running (at left) and Jitney (at right). The background features billowy, cloud shapes cut primarily from cobalt and deep blue.