Burnett, Calvin, (Mascara And Lipstick)
Burnett, Calvin, (Mascara And Lipstick)
"Mascara And Lipstick" by Calvin W. Burnett
9 x 11 inches, etching and drypoint on paper, Artist's Proof Edition, 1947--framed
Curatorial Rationale for the Acquisition of Mascara and Lipstick (1947) by Calvin W. Burnett
The acquisition of Mascara and Lipstick (1947) by Calvin W. Burnett offers a rare opportunity to enrich the museum’s holdings in three key areas: African American printmaking, mid-20th-century American modernism, and underrepresented early works by influential Black artists. This etching and drypoint print, executed in Burnett’s formative postwar period, is a significant example of both technical experimentation and culturally coded portraiture during a time when African American artists were largely excluded from mainstream art institutions.
Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1921, Burnett was a pioneering artist and educator whose work often explored themes of identity, race, and visibility. Mascara and Lipstick predates his most well-known civil rights era imagery, offering instead an intimate and nuanced glimpse into postwar Black life through the lens of personal ritual and self-presentation. The subject’s act of applying makeup—a seemingly mundane gesture—becomes, in Burnett’s hands, an assertion of femininity and presence during a period when Black identity was under both cultural scrutiny and erasure.
This print represents a crucial early moment in Burnett’s trajectory, as he honed his skills at the Massachusetts School of Art and prepared for graduate study at Boston University. The choice of etching and drypoint reflects his commitment to traditional techniques while anticipating the layered social commentary of his later mixed-media works. As an Artist’s Proof from 1947, Mascara and Lipstick holds particular historical and scholarly value, offering researchers insight into Burnett’s draftsmanship and his early visual language.
The work’s acquisition would strengthen the museum’s collection in several strategic ways:
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Bridging Gaps in African American Print Histories: Despite Burnett’s inclusion in major exhibitions and collections during his lifetime, many of his early works remain in private hands and under-documented. This acquisition would help address that critical absence.
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Deepening Representation of Mid-Century Black Artists: Museums continue to rectify historical imbalances in the representation of African American artists from the 1940s–60s. Burnett’s work complements holdings by contemporaries like Charles White, Elizabeth Catlett, and Dox Thrash.
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Enhancing Focus on Works on Paper: For a museum with a strong or growing print collection, Burnett’s technical finesse and compositional sensitivity make this an ideal acquisition for educational and curatorial interpretation.
In sum, Mascara and Lipstick offers both a poignant visual statement and a foundational narrative in the story of 20th-century African American art. Its inclusion in the museum’s collection would underscore a commitment to collecting beyond canonical narratives, toward a fuller and more inclusive vision of American art history.
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