Two Trains

Artist Barbara Earl Thomas (American, born 1948)

CultureAmerican

Date2022

MediumCut black paper on hand-printed colored papers

Dimensions55 × 26 in. (139.7 × 66 cm)
Overall, Frame: 63 1/2 × 33 3/4 × 2 in. (161.3 × 85.7 × 5.1 cm)

Credit LineMuseum purchase

Object number2023.21

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.

Provenanceartist to Claire Oliver Gallery (2023) to CMA (2023)Exhibition HistoryA Joyful Noise at Claire Oliver Gallery, New York City, in November 2022. Barbara Earl Thomas: The Illuminated Body (Chrysler Museum of Art, February 24–August 20, 2023; Wichita Art Museum, October 7, 2023–January 14, 2024; and the Arthur Ross Gallery at the University of Pennsylvania, February 17–May 21, 2024)Published Referencesexhibition catalog Barbara Earl Thomas: The Illuminated Body, edited by Carolyn Swan Needell (Norfolk: Chrysler Museum of Art, 2023), plate 8, and artist portrait p. 9.