Walt Johnston "Widowed" Signed 1971 Lithograph, Ed. 47/90, Dedicated Copy View Watchlist >
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Lot # F1108
System ID # 29818194
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Walt Johnston "Widowed" Signed 1971 Lithograph, Ed. 47/90, Dedicated Copy
Walt Johnston (1932–2018) drew the way an architect's son learns to see — past the surface, into the underlying form, then back out into something so complete it reads as truth. Widowed is that method applied to a face. The portrait shows an elderly East Asian woman in three-quarter view, seated, one hand resting on the back of her chair, her expression carrying the title's full weight without a word of explanation. Worked in lithographic crayon on paper, the characteristic tonal grain builds the deep shadows of her dark shirt and the soft light catching her hair and the worn skin of her hand.
This is impression 47 of 90, dated 1971 — the year Johnston exhibited at the National Academy of Design's Annual Exhibition in New York, and contemporaneous with his showing at the Society of American Graphic Artists, Kennedy Galleries. The pencil inscription below the image reads "Widowed — for Lou Benevento, thank you for caring," followed by the artist's signature twice and the date 1971. The dedication descends directly to this lot from its recipient. A New Mexico artist with permanent-collection placements at the Albuquerque Museum and multiple State Fair purchase prizes, Johnston worked in the linear, observational tradition of Homer, Hopper, and Wyeth.
Provenance
From the collection of the dedicatee, Lou Benevento, named in the artist's inscription beneath the image. Acquired directly from the recipient of the print.
CONDITION
Very Good with no remarkable damage. Tonal grain remains crisp and the pencil inscription, signatures, and edition number are legible beneath the matting. Presented framed in metal with a terracotta mat under glass; the signature and dedication line sit below the mat window.
DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS
- Overall (framed): 20 1/2" H × 16 1/2" W × 1 1/4" D
- Visible image: 13 1/4" H × 10 1/4" W
- Medium: Lithograph (lithographic crayon on paper)
- Edition: 47 of 90
- Signed and dated: 1971, lower right; inscribed and signed a second time in dedication line
- Artist: Walt Johnston (1932–2018)
- Frame: Metal, terracotta mat, under glass
