SPOKEN STATE USA - MARTIN LUTHER KING JR
I Have a Dream
Washington, D.C., 28 August 1963
ABOUT THE PAINTING
Words from Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech are drawn and painted by hand to form the American flag.
From a distance, the stars and stripes are immediately recognisable. Up close, the lettering brings King’s call for freedom and equality into focus—placing the promise of the flag alongside his demand that it be fulfilled.
Original painting: acrylic on aluminium composite panel.
Print EDITIONS
Signed and numbered archival pigment prints of the original paintings, produced in limited editions and available in two sizes. Each print is supplied unframed.
Process
The aluminium panel is prepared, primed and painted white. Using a T-square and pencil, I map the words across the geometry of the American flag.
The lettering and surrounding colour are painted by hand in acrylic, gradually building the image in red, white and blue.
Historical Context
On 28 August 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered “I Have a Dream” at the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
Speaking amid the struggle against racial segregation and discrimination, King challenged the United States to fulfil its founding promises of freedom and equality. His speech combined an urgent demand for change with a vision of a society no longer divided by race.
In this painting, his words form the American flag, bringing the nation’s ideals into direct contact with the struggle to make them a reality.
Martin Luther King Jr. — I Have a Dream
Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C., 28 August 1963
ORIGINAL PAINTING
For availability and enquiries about the original painting, please contact Gary.