Angola’s Dreams Grasp Finger Tips

Emilio Cruz, Angola's Dreams Grasp Finger Tips, 1973, acrylic on canvas, 84 ¹⁄₈ x 84 in. (213.7 x 213.4 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. David K. Anderson, Martha Jackson Memorial Collection, 1980.137.20

Artwork Details

Title: Angola’s Dreams Grasp Finger Tips
Artist: Emilio Cruz
Date: 1973
Location: Not on view
Dimensions: 84 ¹⁄₈ x 84 in. (213.7 x 213.4 cm.)
Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. David K. Anderson, Martha Jackson Memorial Collection
Mediums: acrylic
Mediums Description: acrylic on canvas
Classifications: Painting
Subjects: Abstract
Object Number: 1980.137.20
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1980.137.20

Artwork Description

Angola’s Dreams was inspired by Cruz’s sympathy for two Angolan men he met in Rome who had spent their lives trying to secure support for the country’s struggle for freedom from Portugal. In Cruz’s words, “these two bedraggled spirits were perhaps the most intense individuals I have ever met. Neither one could speak English so we communicated with Spanish mixed with Italian, perhaps at times assimilating Portuguese…Our souls touched and I understood the life that blooms when people have dedicated their lives to what they believe to be a just cause.”

African American Art: Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights Era, and Beyond, 2012