One of the more experimental lithographs Elizabeth Catlett produced, Lovey Twice, is a beautifully rendered and bold double portrait of a black woman seen frontally and in profile. At the time this lithograph was created, Catlett, a Washington DC native, had lived as a Mexican citizen in Cuernavaca for over a decade. She now was familiar with the language, the people, the cuisine, and the landscape. Like two mountain peaks rising from the mist below, Lovey's dual portrait alludes to a deity carved from stone, a spirit or beacon, looking over this new land and keeping watch. The misty, enigmatic, abstract surface seen throughout the image resulted from Catlett's experimental use of floating oil and water-based materials over the lithographic stone's surface before etching the image. This blend of formal, representational portraiture and loose, textural abstraction shows Catlett's genius. In both graphic and sculptural works, she uses her skill and ability to manipulate form and describe reality while simultaneously using bold, abstract elements to create a contemporary and relevant image often with a humanistic charge.

Other Works by Elizabeth Catlett