Men in Agony

Executed as a lithograph combined with lithotint, the piece employs bold, fluid lines and subtle shading to model the bodies. The lithotint process adds a velvety tonal depth beneath the inked outlines, while the loose, expressive drawing style imparts a dynamic sense of movement despite the static tableau.

Created in 1920, *Men in Agony* belongs to the later period of Davies’ career, during which he was a prominent advocate for modern art in America. The print reflects his continued exploration of symbolic themes before his death in 1928, and it remains documented in collections that focus on early twentieth‑century American prints.

Davies, a leading figure in the American avant‑garde from roughly 1910 onward, used this work to engage with contemporary concerns about the human condition. The stark monochrome palette and emotive poses echo broader modernist tendencies toward abstraction and psychological depth that were prevalent in the post‑World‑War I artistic climate.