The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of May 14, 2026

A vertically oriented color woodcut on cream paper features a dense abstract composition of jagged, interlocking forms. Muted brown, tan, and burnt orange shapes overlap with heavy black hatching and sharp white strokes that radiate from the center, revealing visible woodgrain textures. Salmon pink and pale green accents are interspersed among the layered forms. The print is centered within wide margins with handwritten text along the bottom edge.

Brown Forest

1965

Fred Becker

(American, 1913-)
America
color woodcut
Sheet: 88.8 x 66.1 cm (34 15/16 x 26 in.); Image: 76.2 x 60.9 cm (30 x 24 in.)
Gift of various donors to the department of Prints and Drawings 2002.76
Location: Not on view

Description

The Abstract Expressionists, like the Surrealists, rejected the limited perceptions of rational thought and used automatism: marks made by moving the hand rapidly and uncontrollably to produce images that emerge directly from the unconscious mind. Abstract Expressionists made art intuitively; their works record the spontaneous gestures of an arm moving across a canvas or sheet of paper. Many of the Abstract Expressionists made prints. Since a block of wood can be carved freely, woodcut was often used to obtain dynamic images which have a startling immediacy and reveal the process of their creation. The compositions are vigorous and animated, covering the entire sheet, so that the eye travels continuously over the surface.
  • Against the Grain: Woodcuts from the Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 17-November 9, 2003).
  • {{cite web|title=Brown Forest|url=false|author=Fred Becker|year=1965|access-date=14 May 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2002.76