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Otto Neals
THE BREAK OF DAY Signed Woodcut, Black Woman Reading Letter, Lavender Dress

2005

$795
£604.56
€697.33
CA$1,113.65
A$1,246.39
CHF 650.81
MX$15,206.08
NOK 8,261.21
SEK 7,839.38
DKK 5,207.36
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About the Item

THE BREAK OF DAY is an original limited edition woodcut print by the African-American painter and sculptor, Otto Neals. The woodblock used to print THE BREAK OF DAY was hand-carved by Otto Neals and printed at JK Fine Art Editions Co. in shades of lavender, purple and black on archival Rives BFK printmaking paper, 100% acid-free, enhanced with silkscreen and hand-colored accents. THE BREAK OF DAY is a contemporary black female portrait portraying a serene, intimate Afrocentric interior scene with a standing woman looking downward reading a letter, stamped envelope visible on the round table beside her. She wears a lavender bell-sleeved dress and large gold hoop earrings against a dramatic patterned background, full moon and metronome keeping time from behind her add visual interest and mystery. Print size - 25 x 20 inches, mint condition, unframed, pencil signed and numbered by Otto Neals, Certificate of Authenticity included Image size - 19.75 x 15.75 Year published - 2005 Edition size - 100, plus proofs Printer - JK Fine Art Editions Co., NJ Otto Neals is an American painter and sculptor originally from South Carolina. Before he was five years old, his family left the South and settled in Brooklyn, New York, where he still resides. All of Mr. Neals’ schooling was in Brooklyn, where he studied commercial art at George Westinghouse Vocational High School. Neals describes himself as a self-taught artist although he studied briefly at the Brooklyn Museum Art School with Isaac Soyer and printmaking at the Bob Blackburn Printmaking Workshop with Krishna Reddy, Mohammed Khalil, and Roberto DeLomanica. He was introduced to stone carving by sculptor Vivian Schuyler Key, who presented him with his first set of stone carving tools. The Prospect Park Alliance and Ezra Jack Keats Foundation commissioned him in 1995 to create a bronze sculpture entitled “Peter and Willie”, based on the works of author and illustrator Keats. For this work, which is located in the “Imagination Playground” in Prospect Park, Mr. Neals was presented with the New York City Arts Commission’s “Award for Excellence in Design”. The Prospect Park Alliance and Ezra Jack Keats Foundation commissioned him in 1995 to create a bronze sculpture entitled “Peter and Willie”, based on the works of author and illustrator Keats. For this work, which is located in the “Imagination Playground” in Prospect Park, Mr. Neals was presented with the New York City Arts Commission’s “Award for Excellence in Design”. Neals’ artwork has been exhibited at the Columbia Museum of Art, the Huntsville Museum of Art, The Ghana National Museum, The Library of Congress, The Smithsonian Institution, and the collections of Congressman John Lewis, jazz musician Randy Weston, actor/singer Harry Bellafonte and Oprah Winfrey. About his art, Neals said, “My talent as an artist comes directly from my ancestors. I am merely a receiver, an instrument for receiving some of the energies that permeate our entire universe and I give thanks for having been chosen to absorb those artistic forces.”
  • Creator:
    Otto Neals (1930)
  • Creation Year:
    2005
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 25 in (63.5 cm)Width: 20 in (50.8 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Union City, NJ
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU832313685372

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