DC Moore Gallery is pleased to present Jacob Lawrence: Builders, an exhibition of paintings, drawings, and prints spanning from 1974-2000. Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000) is an iconic presence in 20th century art. He uniquely harnessed the power of the figurative, the narrative, and the abstract to address major social and philosophical themes. His engagement with African American subject matter was groundbreaking. During the last three decades of his life, Lawrence consistently pursued the subject of Builders, an unparalleled commitment within his work. A continuation of his dedication to themes from daily life, the Builders are a manifestation of his belief in human agency and the dignity of work. The Builders symbolize a variety of ideas about life and work, particularly in Black communities. Altogether, the Builders paintings are philosophical reflections on the human condition, addressing the role and responsibility of all people to the improvement of society.

In 1998, Lawrence created a series of twelve paintings on the Builders theme, first shown at DC Moore Gallery in the fall of that year. Four of these paintings are included in this exhibition. Lawrence followed the working method he devised for his narrative series depicting episodes of Black history: he would determine the overall concept, draw each composition in pencil, and then apply each color of paint simultaneously to all of the works. The paintings are full of visual play, with a strong use of primary colors, precariously tipped perspectives, precisely cut-out forms in shapes of equal density, and large, blocky objects played off against smaller, intricate ones.

Throughout the paintings, Lawrence uses arrangements of tools to create dynamic compositions, often exaggerating their size or depicting them hanging off a table’s edge as if weightless. He kept a collection of vintage hand tools in his studio, such as wood planers and other carpentry tools, a selection of which are included in this exhibition. “Many hand tools haven’t changed for centuries,” Lawrence said, “They have such balance and are so functional. The human body is like a tool. Any living thing has this kind of structure.” He often portrays the builders’ hands as overly large features, emphasizing the physical effort, power, and skill that he linked to creativity and progress. Through the connection of the hand and the tool, he celebrated the work of carpenters, and he saw a relationship between their labor and that of artists. Both necessitate the coordination of the mental and the manual, the mind and the hands.