Lincoln

Artist / Maker Mauricio Lasansky (Argentinian - American, 1914 - 2012)

Date1986

MediumColor etching on paper

Dimensions51 1/4 x 28 in. (130.2 x 71.1 cm)

ClassificationsPrints and Printing Plates

Credit LineGift of Fred and Ruth Kammeier. In the permanent collection, Brunnier Art Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Object numberum91.69

Status

Not on view

Collections

EditionEdition of 70. This print is 8/70.

Label TextDuring the 1980s, Lasansky completed The Great Thinkers series, which consists of eleven portraits of historical figures who influenced the life and thought of the artist. His work is in the permanent collections of major museum in the United States. Retired from the University of Iowa, Lasansky continues to be an inspiration to artists, for his richly and intensely printed surfaces, and his highly personal style. Lasansky is considered to be one of the Fathers of 20th Century American Printmaking. Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) was the 16th President of the United States. He successfully led the country through its greatest internal crisis, the Civil War (1861-1865), preserving the Union and ending slavery. As the war was drawing to a close, Lincoln became the first American president to be assassinated. Considered one of America's greatest presidents, Lincoln introduced measures that forever shaped the United States, some of these resulted in the abolition of slavery, issuing his Emancipation Proclamation; Lincoln signed the Homestead Act in 1862, making millions of acres of government-held land in the West available for purchase at very low cost. The Morrill Land Grant Colleges Act, was signed July 2 1862, and provided government grants for agricultural universities in each state, like Iowa State University. The Pacific Railway Acts of 1862 and 1864 granted federal support for the construction of the United States' First Transcontinental Railroad, which was completed in 1869. Other important legislation involved economic matters, including the first income tax and higher tariffs. Also included was the creation of the system of national banks by the National Banking Acts of 1863, 1864, and 1865, which allowed the creation of a strong national financial system. Lincoln as signed The Legal Tender Act of 1862 established the United States Note, the first paper currency in United States history. This was done to increase the money supply to pay for fighting the war. Congress created and Lincoln approved the Department of Agriculture in 1862, although that institution would not become a Cabinet-level department until 1889. In 1897, Tama Jim Wilson, left Iowa State College to become the United States Secretary of Agriculture from 1897-1913. Label # 2 Since 1950, printmaking has enjoyed a renaissance as a result of innovative techniques and artists. As a prolific artist and teacher, Mauricio Lasansky has played a vital role in the renewal. Having produced more than 200 prints, he also developed one of the most renowned print workshops in the United States at the University of Iowa. Born in Buenos Aires, Lasansky was a serious artist and printmaker by age nineteen, drawing primarily on literary sources for inspiration. Because Argentina had no graphic tradition, his exposure to printmaking was extremely limited until he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Lasansky has regularly produced oversized prints, attempting to make his figures as close to life as possible. Family portraits are common in his work, interspersed with images from theater and myth. Lasansky also completed a Great Thinkers series featuring renowned figures such as Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, Madame Curie, Louis Pasteur and Abraham Lincoln, as seen here. Lincoln, like the other prints from the series, emphasizes a distinctive physical characteristic, such as a profile, and juxtaposes it with imagery associated with history and myth. Label #3 During his Presidency, Lincoln signed notable legislation such as the Morrill Act of 1862 establishing the land grant university system. This legislation, introduced by U.S. Representative Justin Morrill of Vermont, granted states public land to be sold to support the development of colleges of agriculture and mechanical arts in each of the states. The state of Iowa was the first to accept the Morrill Act of 1862, and as a result, Iowa State Agriculture College and Model Farm in Ames became one of the first colleges in the nation to be designated a land grant college. The Iowa Agriculture College and Model Farm was originally established by the Iowa Agricultural Society in conjunction with a professional relationship with Abraham Lincoln. Today, Morrill Hall, named for Justin Morrill, is the second oldest building on the Iowa State Campus. Morrill Hall stands today exemplifying the Iowa State University continued tradition of the land grant university. The newly renovated Morrill Hall will be the home to the Christian Petersen Art Museum, scheduled to open in March 2007.

SignedHand written in pencil, lower right: M Lasansky

Locations