In his graphic prints, Cleveland Bellow depicted Black activists and musicians as well as ordinary people such as the young boy seen in Untitled, who holds his hands behind his head. This work was eventually turned into a billboard in Oakland, California, part of the trend of public Black art sweeping the nation. The image could be read as an expression of joy or a depiction of a threatened youth. Like Emory Douglas, Bellows innovated within the field of graphic design.
Cleveland Bellow (American, 1946–2009). Untitled, 1968. Screenprint on paper. #BrooklynMuseum, Gift of R. M. Atwater, Anna Wolfrom Dove, Alice Fiebiger,Joseph Fiebiger, Belle Campbell Harriss, and Emma L. Hyde, by exchange, Designated Purchase Fund, Mary Smith Dorward Fund, Dick S. Ramsay Fund, and Carll H. de Silver Fund, 2012.80.6. © Cleveland Bellow.
