Untitled (Anxious Men XL Portfolio), 2019

Rashid Johnson is among the most influential contemporary American artists of his generation, celebrated for a multidisciplinary practice that examines identity, history, race, anxiety, and the complexities of modern life. Drawing upon influences ranging from literature, philosophy, and music to personal biography, Johnson creates works that merge abstraction with deeply human narratives. His celebrated *Anxious Men* series emerged as one of the defining bodies of work in his oeuvre, featuring expressive faces rendered through energetic marks and gestures. These figures function as both self-portraits and universal symbols, embodying the emotional turbulence, vulnerability, and resilience that characterize contemporary existence. Through their immediacy and psychological intensity, the *Anxious Men* have become enduring icons within Johnson’s visual language.

Created in 2019, *Untitled (Anxious Men XL Portfolio)* exemplifies the artist’s ability to transform raw emotion into a powerful graphic composition. Produced using enamel silkscreen resist with hand application of pigment, the work balances the precision of printmaking with the spontaneity of gestural mark-making, resulting in a surface rich with texture and energy. The boldly rendered face, constructed from looping black lines and vibrant passages of color, conveys a striking sense of movement and emotional depth while remaining deliberately open to interpretation. Signed and numbered from the edition of 40, this work belongs to a highly sought-after series that encapsulates Johnson’s exploration of psychological states and collective experience, standing as a compelling example of his distinctive fusion of personal expression and contemporary social commentary.