Composition with Three Women
This drawing depicts three women in three different postures: full frontal, profile and rear facing. Cortor's hatchmark style of lines not only gives the figures' skin texture but provides a sense of depth to the drawing. This sense of directionality, depth and perspective is further enhanced by the artist's placement of each figure — one in the foreground, one in the middle and one in the background. Many of Cortor's paintings typically feature elongated nude figures in private settings with references to traditional African art and Surrealism. He is also known for using African American women as a regular theme in his work, unlike many artists of his time.
The Walter O. Evans Collection of African American Art
One of the most important collections of African American visual art dating from the 18th century to the present, the collection includes 62 works from Edward Bannister, Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, Robert S. Duncanson, Richard Hunt, Jacob Lawrence and others. This collection forms the foundation of a multidisciplinary center for the study, understanding and appreciation of African American art and culture. Items from the collection have previously rotated in the Evans Center Gallery and through unique exhibitions such as the 2012 "Life's Link: A Fred Wilson Installation," and the 2017 travelling exhibition of Jacob Lawrence's work.