Study of Head of Teacher for Anglo-America (Panel 13) for The Epic of American Civilization
José Clemente Orozco, Mexican, 1883 - 1949
1932-1934
Graphite on tracing paper
Sheet: 16 11/16 × 13 7/8 in. (42.4 × 35.3 cm)
Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Purchased through the Mrs. Harvey P. Hood W'18 Fund
© 2018 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SOMAAP, Mexico City
2016.32.33
Geography
Place Made: Mexico, North America
Period
20th century
Object Name
Drawing
Research Area
Drawing
Not on view
Inscriptions
Reverse, inscribed, in ink, lower left: A 142; reverse, inscribed, in graphite, lower right, 61.178.16; reverse, inscribed, in ink, lower left: 266
Label
José Clemente Orozco made hundreds of preparatory sketches for his early 1930s mural, The Epic of American Civilization, located in Dartmouth’s Baker Library. Early studies for the schoolteacher’s face resemble George Washington, one of the most recognizable and reproduced historical figures of all time. In the mural’s final version, Orozco portrayed the stern-faced schoolteacher as an agent of conformity and control surrounded by expressionless school children. By merging George Washington with the schoolteacher, Orozco highlighted how US education promotes nationalism by not fully reckoning with the nation’s entangled, complicated, and often violent history.
Comparative illustration at bottom of label: José Clemente Orozco, The Epic of American Civilization: Anglo-America (Panel 13), fresco, 120 x 103 in. (304.8 x 261.6 cm). Commissioned by the Trustees of Dartmouth College; P.934.13.15
From the 2022 exhibition Historical Imaginary, curated by Michael Hartman, Jonathan Little Cohen Associate Curator of American Art
Course History
Film Studies 42.23, Travelers and Tourists, Heidi Denzel, Spring 2023
History 63.02, Reading Artifacts: The Material Culture of Science, Whitney Barlow Robles, Spring 2023
Exhibition History
Historical Imaginary, Luise and Morton Kaish Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, December 17, 2022-March 5, 2023.
Provenance
The artist; by descent to J. Clement Orozco, Guadalajara, Mexico; sold to present collection, 2016.
Catalogue Raisonne
Orozco family catalogue number: 1402
This record is part of an active database that includes information from historic documentation that may not have been recently reviewed. Information may be inaccurate or incomplete. We also acknowledge some language and imagery may be offensive, violent, or discriminatory. These records reflect the institution’s history or the views of artists or scholars, past and present. Our collections research is ongoing.
We welcome questions, feedback, and suggestions for improvement. Please contact us at: Hood.Collections@dartmouth.edu