Elijah

Charles Wilbert White|Joseph Mugnani|Hugo Mugnani

1969 · Etching and drypoint · Drawings and Prints

White began making etchings while living in Los Angeles in the late 1960s. He was attracted to the technique as it allowed him to create prints with the same delicacy as his drawings. Here, White portrays a young boy peering over the top of a wall, with only his head and the tips of his fingers visible. The spare composition allows the viewer to focus on the child’s emotions and his penetrating gaze. White used crosshatching to produce the background’s dramatic lighting and minimal, yet textured, surface. The print, like many of his late works, possesses a quiet power, while the title recalls biblical associations.

Artist

Charles Wilbert White|Joseph Mugnani|Hugo Mugnani

Date

1969

Medium

Etching and drypoint

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Estate of Martin Birnbaum and Rogers Fund, Transfer from Modern, 1970