Prehistory

About the Art

Lewis was one of the only African American artists among the school of Abstract Expressionist painters active in New York City during the 1950s. While working in a primarily abstract style, his paintings also include figurative elements. For this work, the paint was applied with a dry brush and possibly a rag, creating soft tonal areas of browns, reds, greys and blacks that merge into one another. The occasional straight and jagged lines were most likely made by masking off some areas of the canvas. Together, they suggest emerging human or animal forms.

Lewis read widely and was interested in art from around the world. The title of this painting, Prehistory, along with the earth tones and forms, echo the cave paintings of Altamira in Spain and Lascaux in France, among the earliest known paintings in human history.

FEATURED IMAGE
Norman Lewis (American, 1909–1967), Prehistory, 1952, oil on canvas, 25 3/4 x 49 3/4 inches (65.4 x 126.4 cm). Gift of the James F. Dicke Family, 1996.13