Boycotter, Montgomery
Date1956
Artist
Harvey Dinnerstein
(American artist, 1928–2022)
MediumGraphite on paper
Dimensionscomposition: 9 × 12 1/16 in. (22.9 × 30.6 cm)
Credit LineGift of the Robert Lehman Foundation Inc., 1994
Object number1994-61
On View
Not on viewClassificationsDRAWING
Label TextIn this drawing of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Dinnerstein captures the impact on ordinary citizens, like this man walking through the city. Gravity seems to weigh on his sloped shoulders and pull at his cotton shirt and overalls. His shadow pools on the ground below him. He trudges forward, but his path is blocked by the fence that surrounds the distinctive Court Square Fountain. This obstacle bisects the paper, stretching nearly from edge to edge, encouraging viewers to appreciate the subject’s effort. Looming in the background, almost indistinct, is the dome of the Alabama State Capitol, which served as the first Confederate Capitol in 1861 and the endpoint of the Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965.
