RITA DONAGH (B. 1939)

In May 1970, four students were killed in a shocking crackdown by the National Guard at Kent State University, Ohio. The Kent State violence is part of the story told by Donagh's painting Reflection on 3 Weeks in May 1970 (1971, Tate Collection). The present work is the First Perspective drawing and is a response to studio activity which Donagh undertook with a group of students at Reading University. Donagh challenged the fundamental questions concerning the nature of art, especially to challenge ideas of works of art as self-contained gestures, and the role of the artist within broader cultural contexts.