Escape

Jacob Lawrence, Escape, 1967, brush and ink, pen and ink, crayon, and pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1986.6.53
Jacob Lawrence, Escape, 1967, brush and ink, pen and ink, crayon, and pencil on paper, sheet: 2229 12 in. (56.074.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1986.6.53

Artwork Details

Title
Escape
Date
1967
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
sheet: 2229 12 in. (56.074.9 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation
Mediums Description
brush and ink, pen and ink, crayon, and pencil on paper
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure group
  • Fantasy
  • Animal — reptile — snake
  • Allegory — civic — liberty
Object Number
1986.6.53

Artwork Description

“My work is abstract in the sense of having been designed and composed, but it is not abstract in the sense of having no human contact. I want to communicate. I want the idea to strike right away.” ---Jacob Lawrence

Escape is a preliminary study for Through Forests, Through Rivers, Up Mountains, Lawrence’s tribute to Harriet Tubman, who, after her own escape from slavery, helped others negotiate the journey to the northern states and Canada. Communicating his idea forcefully, Lawrence depicted Tubman schematically; her hands are large as they urge fleeing families to move forward.


Modern American Realism: The Sara Roby Foundation Collection, 2014

Works by this artist (12 items)

Jacob Lawrence, The Library, 1960, tempera on fiberboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc., 1969.47.24
The Library
Date1960
tempera on fiberboard
On view
On the Way
Date1990
color lithograph on paper
Not on view
Jacob Lawrence, Dreams No. 2, 1965, tempera on fiberboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1986.6.95
Dreams No. 2
Date1965
tempera on fiberboard
Not on view

Exhibitions

Media - 1986.6.100 - SAAM-1986.6.100_2 - 135134
Modern American Realism: Highlights from the Sara Roby Foundation Collection
This exhibition presents some of the most treasured paintings and sculpture from SAAM’s permanent collection, including artworks by Will Barnet, Isabel Bishop, Paul Cadmus, Edward Hopper, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Jacob Lawrence, George Tooker, among others.

More Artworks from the Collection

Bill Beirne, Cross Reference, production notes (directional diagram), 1976, crayon, pencil, and ink on paper with additions in collage, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Gene Davis Memorial Fund, 2015.6.6, © 1976, Bill Beirne
Cross Reference, production notes (directional diagram)
Date1976
crayon, pencil, and ink on paper with additions in collage
Not on view
Nellie Mae Rowe, What Price Watermellon?, 1981, pencil, ink and crayon on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak, 1982.114.4
What Price Watermellon?
Date1981
pencil, ink and crayon on paper
Not on view
Shields Landon ("S.L.") Jones, Drawing of Boy, ca. 1970s, pencil, ballpoint pen and ink, and crayon on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak, 1981.63.5
Drawing of Boy
Dateca. 1970s
pencil, ballpoint pen and ink, and crayon on paper
Not on view
Henry Moore, Britain, from the United Nations Series, 1944, ink, watercolor, pencil, crayon, and gouache on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Container Corporation of America, 1984.124.219
Britain, from the United Nations Series
Date1944
ink, watercolor, pencil, crayon, and gouache on paper
Not on view