Zodiac

Walter Sanford first rose to prominence in the 1940s as part of the Chicago Black Renaissance, a flowering of artistic expression, community organizing, and social activity in Chicago's African American community during the 1930s through the 1950s. Originally from Detroit, Sanford moved to Chicago to attend the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he trained under the renowned Hungarian modernist László Moholy-Nagy. His far-reaching interests ranged from social realism to Abstract Expressionism, though he is best known for his detailed portraits and figurative works in ink and colored pencil, such as this dazzling rendering of the twelve astrological signs of the zodiac. His models, such as those depicted throughout this drawing, were mainly friends and acquaintances from his South Side neighborhood. Though nothing certain is known of Sanford’s inspiration for Zodiac, the allure of astrology and zodiac calendars that has long been a part of American culture saw a surge of interest beginning in the 1960s.