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"Devil and Nude, " Large, Important Drawing by Harlem Renaissance Artist

About the Item

An extraordinary and rare drawing produced by one of the great artists associated with the Harlem Renaissance, this depiction of a devil figure whispering into the ear of an idealized nude male youth is suggestive of the Faust legend. The artist was Charles Cullen, who played a very important role in illustrating several volumes associated with Black writers in the 1920s and 1930s, most especially Countee Cullen (no relation to Charles). Countee was a writer and poet who produced several important works -- including "The Black Christ and Other Poems," "Copper Sun" and "Color," and was probably one of the more prominent gay members of the Renaissance. Charles Cullen produced a masterful series of gorgeous Art Deco drawings that depicted the male figure in a sensuous, sometimes homoerotic manner for Countee's books and later went further, depicting nude males for a 1933 edition of "Leaves of Grass" and the scandalous publication of "Mimes of the Courtsans" in 1928. (Dimensions include matte.)
  • Creator:
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 28 in (71.12 cm)Width: 19.5 in (49.53 cm)Depth: 0.1 in (2.54 mm)
  • Style:
    Art Deco (Of the Period)
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    circa 1930
  • Condition:
  • Seller Location:
    Philadelphia, PA
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU86514348243
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