Anton Refregier (1905–1979) | The Shadow of Two Wars, 1946 Original Two-Tone Lithograph on Wove Paper

Revised Description

This poignant 1946 lithograph by Anton Refregier is a masterful example of American Social Realism. The work is characterized by the rich, granular texture typical of stone lithography, with a visible plate mark defining the composition's boundary.

Refregier utilizes a somber, monochromatic blue-grey palette to depict a monumental soldier overlooking a landscape of loss. To the left, crosses marking the dates 1915 and 1918 bridge the trauma of the First World War with the then-recent conclusion of the Second. The foreground features a group of grieving women, their forms rendered with the sculptural weight and "heroic" proportions common in Refregier's famed mural work. This print serves as both a historical document of the post-war American psyche and a testament to Refregier's skill as a graphic artist.

Technical Details

• Artist: Anton Refregier

• Medium: Original lithograph

• Date: 1946 (Signed and dated in the stone, lower right)

• Image Size: Approx. 11 x 14 in (within plate mark)

• Sheet Size: 15 x 20 in

• Condition: Excellent; minor tape residue on outer margins (well away from the image), light age-toning to the paper.

Keywords: Anton Refregier original lithograph 1946 social realism American printmaking WPA artist stone lithography plate mark anti-war art mourning women military graves 1918 1915 mid-century graphic art limited edition print blue-grey monochrome figurative expressionism.