Modern Chromatic Magenta Lithograph by Richard Proctor

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Proctor never ceases to astonish with the breadth and quality of his works. How can one not be unsettled by … Read more Proctor never ceases to astonish with the breadth and quality of his works. How can one not be unsettled by that incisive gaze, at once haunted and accusatory? The figure of Barabbas, as interpreted here, is neither entirely guilty nor entirely absolved. His fragmented visage, streaked with vivid hues, conveys a fractured identity—a man caught between destiny and the crowd. The structure of the work hinges on a tension between flat planes of color and the brutality of the line. Proctor plays with the intensity of contrast, juxtaposing searing tones—magenta, orange-red—with the depths of black, blue, and brown. This chromatic layering imbues the lithograph with a dramatic, almost theatrical charge, evoking the urgency of the moment when Ponce Pilate yields to the clamor of the crowd and grants clemency to Barabbas.

Obliquely constructed, the gaze carries an ambivalence: Is it defiance or resignation? The tight composition, cropping the edges of the face, heightens the sense of suffocation. Though free, the man appears imprisoned by his fate, as if the mercy he has been granted weighs more heavily than it liberates. Proctor does not seek idealization but impact. His nervous, almost raw linework, akin to an engraving carved in haste, lends the piece a raw, nearly primal energy. This expressive force leaves a lasting impression: a face that offers neither rest nor resolution, a fragment of history petrified in color and line—an opportunity to rediscover the life of this enigmatic figure.

In the lower margin, the work is signed in pencil and numbered 12/60. To its left, it bears the serial number 5/18, dedicated to the biblical figure of Barabbas. It is reminiscent of a black-and-white version of Conquistador, another series Richard Proctor worked on.

BIO
Richard Proctor (1936-2022) was a prolific and versatile artist who produced various works, including written and pictorial experiments. He received a Bachelor of Science in Art Education in 1959 and a Master of Fine Arts in painting from Michigan State University in 1962. He taught in the art department at the University of Washington until he retired in 1992. Richard’s artwork has been displayed at the Seattle Art Museum, the Palm Springs Art Museum, the Bellevue Art Museum, the Detroit Art Institute, and the NYC Museum of Contemporary Crafts. See less