The Prodigal Son with Harlots - Amos Doolittle

Gift of the Print and Drawing Club

"The Prodigal Son with Harlots" by Amos Doolittle (n.d.) Hand-colored engraving on paper.

Commentary

"The Prodigal Son with Harlots" by Amos Doolittle (n.d.) invites a close look at how form and feeling work together. The print-based method rewards close viewing, where line, texture, and contrast do most of the expressive w ork. Themes to notice include wood engraving. This piece is held in the source collection's Prints and Drawings collection. Amos Doolittle is the artist behind this work. A useful anchor for reading the piece: Amos Doolittle American, 1754-1832. The work is cataloged within a United States cultural context. How to look at this work: It is cataloged as wood engraving, which gives a clue to how the museum frames the object. Its medium (Hand-colored engraving on paper) affects texture, durability, and how detail reads at different distances. Its listed dimensions (Image: 32 × 24.3 cm (12 5/8 × 9 5/8 in.); Sheet, cut within platemark: 35.8 × 25 cm (14 1/8 × 9 7/8 in.)) suggest how intimate or monumental it may feel in person. Subject cues from the catalog include wood engraving. Compare this reading with the museum record at the source collection: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/15073

Sources: Art Institute of Chicago; Art Institute of Chicago / Public Records; Art Institute of Chicago Collection Data