Joseph in Prison (an original signed woodcut by Arthur C. Danto)

An original signed woodcut by Arthur C. Danto, executed in 1947 while he was an undergraduate at Wayne State University (he graduated in 1948). In this Expressionist image we see Joseph looking downcast in a dark cell, sitting on a bench with his ankle chained to the floor. 11 1/2" x 8 1/2" (block), 18" x 13" (sheet). Signed (A. Danto), dated ('47), titled (Joseph in Prison), and justified (3/25) in pencil. Only SIX IMPRESSIONS WERE ACTUALLY PRINTED, as indicated by the "6" at lower right (and confirmed by Danto). Monogrammed in the block. This is an extremely fine and rich impression, printed by the artist himself, on fine, thick, brownish-gray laid paper. A few marginal restorations, otherwise in excellent condition. Danto went on to have a successful career as an printmaker during the 1950s. In the early 1960s he turned to the philosophy and criticism of art, the field in which he achieved great acclaim. His early prints, dating from the 1940s, are of the greatest rarity. Possibly a unique survival.