Josh Holland | Heroes: Mandela, Sakharov, Havel

In the early 1990s, Josh Holland took on an investigation of three public figures who were his heroes. He researched their lives, chose images of them at all stages of their development and worked through charcoal drawings, etchings and ink drawings to show them maturing into their life's work. In each case, these men, Nelson Mandela, Andrei Sakharov, and Vaclav Havel, took a stand on behalf of all humanity and stood between the force of political oppression and the expression of a free people. They were noble men in his view, moving the slow evolution of humankind in what he felt was the right direction. An exhibition of "Heroes" was held at The Foundry Gallery in 1985 (CHECK THIS SITE & DATE)

image Mandela at Nineteen 1946, charcoal 1993
image Mandela on TV - MacNeil Lehrer - July 2, 1993, charcoal 1993