Poet

This work is a small profile portrait of the influential American poet, critic, author and editor, Laura Riding (1901 – 1991). Born in New York to a family of Austrian-Jewish immigrants, Riding was best known for her association with the Fugitives in the 1920s and her personal and literary partnership with Robert Graves. Drawn in bold, black outlines with touches of local colour, this painting is a good example of Kitaj's powerful draughtsmanship, and a testament of his affection and respect for one of the American literary greats.