Sincerely Yours

Authors

Emily Kintz, University of DaytonFollow

Files

Description

Dimensions: 30 inches wide, 36 inches tall
Inkjet on matte paper, printed on both sides
Work displayed here as a diptych

Artist's narrative: Letter 62 unfolds William D. Howells’ review of Majors and Minors and the impact it had on Paul Laurence Dunbar. This single review pushed Dunbar into the national spotlight, which made his career. Howells' review, however, was embedded with racist ideologies and misinterpretations of Dunbar’s messages. The use of blue watercolor in the foreground represents the depth Dunbar put into his work. The purple watercolor begins to flood into the imagery to express the power Howells had over Dunbar in this single review. The flowers spreading across symbolize the way Howells rooted himself into Dunbar regardless of the success that was brought upon him. One side portrays the sense of gratitude Dunbar had from the review, while the other half displays the harsh reality of the damage Howells' single review did to him. The type palette paired with this imagery consists of Adriane Text designed by Marconi Lima and Work Sans distributed by Google Fonts. This transitional and grotesque pair creates stability in the imagery to showcase the power Howells will forever hold over Dunbar.

Publication Date

10-23-2023

Keywords

Paul Laurence Dunbar, Typography, Graphic Design, Dayton history, University of Dayton, Black history

Disciplines

Graphic Design

Comments

Copyright © 2023 by the artist.

Recommended Citation

Kintz, Emily, "Sincerely Yours" (2023). Life in Letters: A Typographic Poster Exhibition Featuring Paul Laurence Dunbar. 3.
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/stu_vad_dunbarletters/3