The Man at the Crossroads (1924)

Dated 1924, "The Man at the Crossroads" is an artwork by Dean Cornwell. Context for 1924: Posters, magazines, and illustrated books were major ways for the public to meet new art and design. The first decades of the twentieth century were a period of rapid experiment, with Fauvism, Expressionism, Cubism, Futurism, and the first abstract painting appearing within a few years of each other. Illustration, a short history: Printing methods such as woodcut, engraving, lithography, and photomechanical reproduction each shaped how illustrators worked. The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries are often described as a golden age of book and magazine illustration. It is listed in the Illustration collection. The image is in landscape orientation.

"The Man at the Crossroads" is shown in the onlly.art catalogue for reference and browsing. A landscape format suits wide, low wall spaces such as the stretch above a bed, mantel, or sideboard. Browsing works by the same artist, or from the same period, is a good way to compare styles before choosing what suits your space.

American, 1892–1960

If you like the visual language of Dean Cornwell, explore more works by the same artist in our collection.