Jacob Lawrence (American, 1917-2000). Hiroshima, with poem by Robert Penn Warren, 1983. Illustrated book with 8 Screenpr...

Description

Jacob Lawrence (American, 1917-2000)
Hiroshima, with poem by Robert Penn Warren, 1983
Illustrated book with 8 Screenprints
12-3/4 x 9-3/4 x 1 inches (32.4 x 24.8 x 2.5 cm) (book)
Ed. 543/1500
Signed and numbered in pencil on the last page
Published by The Limited Editions Club, New York
Printed by Studio Heinrici Ltd., New York

Black Art from a Distinguished Collector

John Hersey's unembellished account of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan by American forces during the closing days of the Second World War was first published in The New Yorker magazine in August 1946. Hersey based his story on interviews he conducted with six survivors of the blast in days and weeks following the detonation. It caused a national sensation when first published, and is today widely noted as one of the finest pieces of journalism of the 20th century. In a series of boldly articulated full-page screenprints, Jacob Lawrence sympathetically captures the intense emotions and vivid impressions of Hersey's account. Lawrence envisions the victim's reaction to the moment of the "noiseless flash" of the blast on August 6, 1945, their imminent death presaged by the skeleton-like appearance of their bodies.


More information about Jacob Lawrence. See also: Lawrence, Jacob Artist.

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