Thom Shaw
American, 1947-2010
Urban Medals, 2003
Woodcut on paper, 28 3/8 x 19 7/8 inches
Gift of Ellen Price
2019.26.10
Cincinnati based artist Thom Shaw produced a body of work that was uncompromising and undiluted in its descriptions of his life experiences. Shaw encrypted his prints with engaging narrative, social commentary, and a look into what it was like to be Black in America. This stark print is composed through bold forms and high contrasts between lights and darks, mixed with wood textures to emphasize the figure’s presence. His use of clean lines and sharp alternating patterns heighten the tension of the scene. Shaw depicts a scarred man with a disability (an amputated leg) sitting dejectedly on a recliner, watching television, forcing the viewer to consider the inequality he recognized in disenfranchised communities.