The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 10, 2026

A horizontally oriented pen and brown ink drawing on cream paper features a symmetrical, jagged form. From a dark, layered base, two vertical stalks rise, flanked by pointed limbs extending toward our left and right. A thin, curved line hooks around the center. Fine cross-hatching and light brown washes define the shape, with small ink splatters dotting the background. A cursive signature, "Theodore Roszak," sits in the lower right corner.

Mandrake

1951

Theodore Roszak

(American, born Kingdom of Prussia [now Poland], 1907–1981)
America
pen and brown ink and brown wash
Contemporary Collection of The Cleveland Museum of Art 1964.141
© Estate of Theodore Roszak / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Location: Not on view

Description

"The forms that I find necessary to assert, are meant to be blunt reminders of primordial strife and struggle, reminiscent of these brute forces that not only produced life, but in turn threatened to destroy it...society may be on the threshold of a great transformation---we will again see the emergence and meaning of the Baroque symbol, revealing a psychic life of organic growth, that itself has the power of regeneration and transcendence... The rhythm between the discipline of the Classic and the emotional stirring of the Baroque may well establish a new synthesis toward the completeness of man and his hopes for the fullness of life."
  • Changing Dimensions: Works on Paper by Sculptors. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 22, 1995-January 24, 1996).
    Cleveland Museum of Art, 1995-1996: Changing Dimensions: Works on Paper by Sculptors: November 22, 1995-January 24, 1996, no cat.
    Directions in Drawing II: The Human Figure. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 5, 1991-January 12, 1992).
    Year in Review (1964). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 8, 1964-January 31, 1965).
  • {{cite web|title=Mandrake|url=false|author=Theodore Roszak|year=1951|access-date=10 April 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1964.141