Charles White (1918-1979). Folk Singer (Voice of Jericho), 1958. Linocut on Japon paper. 35-3/4 x 18...

Description

Charles White (1918-1979)
Folk Singer (Voice of Jericho), 1958
Linocut on Japon paper
35-3/4 x 18 inches (90.8 x 45.7 cm) (sheet)
A proof aside from the intended edition of 30, 25 realized
Signed, titled, and dated in pencil along lower edge

Property from the collection of Stanley Kramer, Los Angeles

An additional impression of this work can be found in the collection of the Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, Maryland.

Charles White's The Folk Singer captures a moment of near-mythic intensity - an upward gaze, mouth open in song or cry, etched with lines that vibrate with emotion and movement. Created in 1957, this linocut exemplifies White's mastery of figurative expression and his unwavering commitment to portraying Black dignity, struggle, and cultural resonance. The image depicts Harry Belafonte - actor, singer, and civil rights activist whose voice became a symbol of artistic excellence and social resistance during the 20th century - cast in high contrast, his head tilted back as if singing into the sky itself.

This particular impression of The Folk Singer holds an extraordinary place in American cultural history. Sidney Poitier purchased the print as a wedding gift for Karen and Stanley Kramer, who were married on September 1, 1966. The choice of artwork was not incidental. White, Belafonte, and Poitier all stood at the intersection of art and activism, using their platforms to challenge injustice while celebrating Black identity. Just a year later, Kramer and Poitier would collaborate on "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" (1967) - a landmark film that tackled interracial marriage at a time when it remained illegal in parts of the United States. In this way, the linocut stands not only as a powerful work of art but also as a witness to a larger cultural shift.

There is something deeply intimate and reverent in the way White carves Belafonte's likeness. The tight pattern of swirling lines around the singer suggests both sound waves and spiritual force - an unseen presence to which the figure sings or pleads. Unlike many of White's painted works, this linocut uses minimal color and maximal contrast to evoke a kind of sacred monumentality. It is a portrait not just of Belafonte the man, but Belafonte the symbol - of resistance, of voice, of visibility. The work calls to mind not only gospel and blues but also speeches, marches, and the kind of courage that reverberates long after the sound itself ends.

In The Folk Singer, White crystallizes a moment in time when art, music, and activism were inseparable. The print speaks across generations - from the Civil Rights Movement to the Hollywood soundstage - reminding us that the act of singing, of speaking, of standing up, has always been political. That it was chosen by Poitier as a wedding gift for Kramer is more than a gesture of friendship - it is a statement of shared values and mutual commitment to justice through art. Like Belafonte's voice and White's blade, this image cuts deep.


More Information: The photo image (shown for reference and not included with this lot) shows Sidney Poitier, Charles White, Ivan Dixon & Tony Curtis on the set of The Defiant Ones, (1958), directed by Stanley Kramer.


More information about White, Charles Artist.

Estimate: $20,000 - $30,000.

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