James Lesesne Wells (1902-1993)

James Lesesne Wells (1902-1993)

James Lesesne W

BLACK ART AUCTION SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2022 AT 11 AM EST

Wells (1902-1993) This auction includes an impressive selection of works—ten in total—by James L. Wells. Examples of his prints are part of both the Savage and Jackson estates we are featuring, as well as the general auction. This is not a reflection of the commonality of his work, because in fact, it is very difficult to find; but it is an indicator of how vital a representation of his work is to collections of historical black art. My initial thought was that they must be spread out among several sales, but then I changed my mind. I thought, wouldn’t it be a wasted opportunity to show several works at one time—a significant representation of style, medium and subject matter for the artist—if I did that? I have seen many works by Wells over the years, but always one here and then there—never several at once. I have not personally seen a retrospective of his artwork. This unique opportunity made me stop and really admire his skill as a draftsman and the power of his imagery. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Thom Pegg

J

aqueline Trescott, writing a review in The Washington Post about a retrospective show of Wells’ work that was occurring then at Howard University in 1977, stated, “On any list of great black artists of this century, James Lesesne Wells certainly deserves a prominent place.” (I would have gone with “American artist”, but she’s not wrong).

Wells was born at the Gammon Theological Seminary campus in Atlanta in 1902, one of three children of a Divinity student and schoolteacher. After receiving his Doctorate of Divinity in 1903, the Reverend Wells moved the family to Palatka, Florida, where he had accepted a pastorate. These early experiences of church life, bible stories, and hymns were influential to his later artistic subjects.

His father died when James was only 10, so he helped support the family doing odd jobs, and later as a college student, by working as a busboy and waiter on the Hudson River Day Line cruise boats, and as a mail sorter. James first received a scholarship to the Florida Normal and Industrial Institute in Jacksonville. This school was primarily a religious vocational institution, but students were allowed to explore career options outside of the church. Wells became

interested in art, and his talents earned him another scholarship to Lincoln University in Chester County, Pennsylvania. James alternatively decided to move to Harlem in 1919 and test the job market. When he wasn’t working, he visited museums, most notably the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and sketched copies of famous works. In 1921, he thought it made sense to return to Lincoln University to take advantage of the scholarship, but the program proved to be too centered in religious studies, so he instead returned to New York.

Determined to continue his studies in art, he entered Columbia University’s Teachers College in 1924. The faculty at that time, led by Arthur Young, was still under the influence of the former chairman, the late Arthur Wesley Dow. Dow is considered one of the most important early 20th century printmakers in the United States, and his specialty was the woodcut and linoleum cut print. In the late 1920s, Wells began executing block prints as illustrations for text, and he found commissions with the two leading black periodicals, The Crisis and Opportunity. In addition to his work in illustration, he began to see success exhibiting in art fairs in the city.

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Lot 27

Landscape With House, 1945 linocut on cream thin Japan paper 10-1/4 x 9 inches (full margins) pencil signed, titled and, “4 imp”

Label verso: Print Club of Philadelphia, 1932; Sixth Annual Exhibition of American Block Prints, April 19-May 21, 1932 $3,000-5,000

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In 1929, he received an offer to teach at Howard University in Washington, D.C. He moved there in the fall of that year into a residence in the 1300 block of R Street, Northwest, which happened to be directly across the street from the home of Alain Locke, the influential writer, philosopher, professor and patriarch of the Harlem Renaissance. Their friendship and professional association continued until Locke’s death in 1954.

In 1933, Wells married high school teacher Ophelia Davidson, the daughter of a prominent attorney. Toward the end of the 1930s, he returned a great deal of his energy to drawing and etching, and produced several important lithographs. He enrolled in Columbia University’s Master of Arts program in his sabbatical year (1937).

Continuously teaching and exhibiting into the 1940s didn't stop Wells from expanding his technical skills as an artist. In James Lesesne Wells, Sixty Years in Art , Richard Powell writes, “This desire for previously-acquired data was reflected in his changing attitudes about printmaking. By 1945, neither the block print or the lithograph entirely satisfied Wells. Instead, he sought out other printmaking methods that would accommodate his search for a more enduring and spiritual graphic image.

This search led Wells, during the 1947-48 academic year, to take another leave of absence from Howard University and to study engraving and intaglio printmaking at ‘Atelier 17’ in New York City” (p. 20).

In the decades of the 1950s-1960s, Wells’ interest in spirituality and religion increased in his work, and he became active and invested in civil rights in his personal life. His brother-in-law, Eugene Davidson, was the local NAACP chapter president, and Wells frequently participated in their activities to help desegregate Washington, D.C. He retired from teaching at Howard University in 1968, and traveled to West Africa. Upon his return the following year, he executed several relief prints inspired by his travels. In these works, he abandoned the smaller black and white format in which he had previously worked his entire career, and produced large, colorful images.

In 1973, Fisk University held a solo exhibition of his art, and the Washington Project for the Arts held the exhibition, James Lesesne Wells, Sixty Years in Art in 1986. In 1980, Wells was awarded the Presidential Citation for Lifelong Contribution to American art by President Jimmy Carter. James Lesesne Wells passed away in Washington, D.C. in 1993. t

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Lot 41

Primitive Boy, 1928

linocut on Japan paper 8-7/16 x 5-5/8 inches (image) 13-1/4 x 12-1/8 inches (sheet) signed, titled, dated and numbered, 7/35 $3,000-5,000

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Lot 211

Journey to Calvary, 1957

woodblock print on paper 9 x 13-1/4 inches signed, dated, titled and numbered 9/35 Included in a program/exhibition: 1st Annual Awards Reception, “A Salute to James L. Wells”, which took place at Capitol East Graphics Gallery. The presentation involved E.J. Montgomery, Gail Hansberry, Cindy Brewer, Gastrel Riley and H. Elaine Jackson. $2,000-3,000

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Lot 212

Girl From Bermuda, c. 1970

lithograph 14 x 10 inches (image) signed, titled, inscribed “3rd imp” Included in a program/exhibition: 1st Annual Awards Reception, “A Salute to James L. Wells”, which took place at Capitol East Graphics Gallery. The presentation involved E.J. Montgomery, Gail Hansberry, Cindy Brewer, Gastrel Riley and H. Elaine Jackson. $1,000-2,000

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Lot 213

Still Life With Violin, 1987

color screen print 27-3/4 x 31-3/4 inches, full margins signed, titled, dated, and numbered 22/99 Included in a program/exhibition: 1st Annual Awards Reception, “A Salute to James L. Wells”, which took place at Capitol East Graphics Gallery. The presentation involved E.J. Montgomery, Gail Hansberry, Cindy Brewer, Gastrel Riley and H. Elaine Jackson.

Printed by Lou Stovall at the Workshop, Inc., Washington, D.C. with the blind stamp lower left. $2,000-3,000

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Lot 214

Samson in the Temple, c. 1950 woodcut print on paper 12 x 10 inches unsigned

Included in a program/exhibition: 1st Annual Awards Reception, “A Salute to James L. Wells”, which took place at Capitol East Graphics Gallery. The presentation involved E.J. Montgomery, Gail Hansberry, Cindy Brewer, Gastrel Riley and H. Elaine Jackson. $1,000-2,000

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Lot 243

Mill Worker, c. 1940

lithograph 9-1/2 x 8-1/2 (image) signed and titled, inscribed, “10th imp.” . This image is also known by the alternate title, “Time Out”.

Included in a program/exhibition: 1st Annual Awards Reception, “A Salute to James L. Wells”, which took place at Capitol East Graphics Gallery. The presentation involved E.J. Montgomery, Gail Hansberry, Cindy Brewer, Gastrel Riley and H. Elaine Jackson. $5,000-7,000

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Lot 244

Still Life, c. 1945

colored linoleum cut print 11-1/2 x 18 inches (image) signed, titled and inscribed, “proof” Included in a program/exhibition: 1st Annual Awards Reception, “A Salute to James L. Wells”, which took place at Capitol East Graphics Gallery. The presentation involved E.J. Montgomery, Gail Hansberry, Cindy Brewer, Gastrel Riley and H. Elaine Jackson. $2,000-3,000

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Lot 245

African Fetish II, c. 1929-30 woodblock print on paper 7-1/2 x 6-1/4 inches signed, titled, with “10 imp.”

Included in a program/exhibition: 1st Annual Awards Reception, “A Salute to James L. Wells”, which took place at Capitol East Graphics Gallery. The presentation involved E.J. Montgomery, Gail Hansberry, Cindy Brewer, Gastrel Riley and H. Elaine Jackson. $2,000-3,000

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Lot 246

Peter the Fisherman, c. 1950

woodcut print on paper 11-1/2 x 7-1/2 inches signed, titled and numbered 7/35 Included in a program/exhibition: 1st Annual Awards Reception, “A Salute to James L. Wells”, which took place at Capitol East Graphics Gallery. The presentation involved E.J. Montgomery, Gail Hansberry, Cindy Brewer, Gastrel Riley and H. Elaine Jackson. $2,000-3,000

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