Drowned Shadow
1958
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
woodcut in black on japan paper
Dimensions
image: 24.77 × 20.64 cm (9 3/4 × 8 1/8 in.) sheet: 32.39 × 32.7 cm (12 3/4 × 12 7/8 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Reba and Dave Williams Collection, Gift of Reba and Dave Williams
Accession Number
2008.115.975
Art Historical Context
**Drowned Shadow** (1958) by Maria Bonomi is a striking woodcut print in black ink on delicate Japan paper, measuring nearly 10 by 8 inches in its image area. Created when Bonomi was in her early twenties, this work exemplifies the bold, expressive printmaking tradition that flourished in mid-20th-century Brazil. As a rising figure in São Paulo's vibrant art scene, Bonomi drew from modernist influences, using the woodcut medium—carved from wood blocks and hand-printed—to achieve dramatic contrasts of light and shadow. The title evokes a sense of mystery and fluidity, perhaps alluding to submer...