
© The Estate of R.B. Kitaj
A LIFE 1975
R B Kitaj (1932 – 2007)
Details
- Dimension
- 73 X 52.8 CM
- Media
- LITHOGRAPH
- Accession number
- P4428
Summary
An American by birth, Kitaj took advantage of provisions in the GI Bill to settle in England in 1958 to study at the Ruskin School of Drawing, and later at the Royal College of Art. Kitaj’s championing of figurative art provided a salutary alternative to the then prevailing influence of American abstraction, and his ability to draw on a wide variety of historical and contemporary subjects provided a model for a new form of picture- making. The composition of the lithograph here is based on a pastel, Femme du Peuple II (Private Collection USA), and ‘a pulp novel I can’t remember’’, showing an encounter between a young prostitute and an anonymous man, unidentifiable in his trench coat with his hat pulled firmly down.
Thresholds, British Council 2010
Glossary
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Drawing
The depiction of shapes and forms on a flat surface chiefly by means of lines although colour and shading may also be included. Materials most commonly used are pencil, ink, crayon, charcoal, chalk and pastel, although other materials, including paint, can be used in combination.
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Pastel
A drawing medium of dried paste made of ground pigments and a water-based binder that is manufactured in crayon form. The term also refers to a picture or sketch drawn with this type of crayon.