A young boy climbs a group of trees that are not naturally grouped, but thrown together with the branches creating a patterened decorative background.
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Pathfinder

Ward, Lynd

1971

Artwork Information

  • Title:

    Pathfinder

  • Artist:

    Ward, Lynd

  • Artist Bio:

    American, 1905–1985

  • Date:

    1971

  • Medium:

    Woodcut

  • Dimensions:

    8 x 22 inches

  • Credit Line:

    Wichita Art Museum, Museum purchase, Mosby Lincoln Foundation

  • Object Number:

    2020.11.22

  • Display:

    Not Currently on Display

About the Artwork

Printmaker Ward was an advocate for the woodcut and its storytelling potential. A graduate of Columbia Teacher’s College and Germany’s National Academy of Graphic Arts and Bookmaking, Ward illustrated children’s books, poems, adult fiction, and his own “wordless novels.” Ward was a member of the National Academy of Design, president of the American Graphic Arts Society, and recipient of numerous awards and prizes. He illustrated a Caldecott winner and two Newberry Medal books. Famous for his children’s book illustrations, other aspects of Ward’s oeuvre were much more political in nature. Ward’s “wordless novels” center on labor, class, and race issues and had a major impact on the development of the graphic novel. His prints are in collections throughout America, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum. The Library of Congress has a major collection of his work, including 82 printing blocks.