In 1973, art was at the forefront of a cultural shift. The U.S. military had just withdrawn from Vietnam after nearly two decades, and the mid-century optimism had given way to uncertainty. Art, even when created to appeal to the masses, took on a darker tone. The highest-grossing film of 1973, The Exorcist, and the best-selling album, Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon, offered us a glimpse into the cultural landscape of the time.
The following year, a new wave of art—films like Chinatown and albums like Bob Marley’s Natty Dread—shed light on a broken system. And it gave us the tools to understand it. Art reflects the world around us and helps us process complex issues so we can move forward. Leonard Cohen once said, “There’s a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” Art creates cracks in the darkest places in the world, letting in the light of knowledge.
Fifty years later, Blackwing 2 recognizes the role of art in generating change.
The pencil features a glow-in-the-dark, cracked design that plays on the duality of art and the challenging realities that inspire it. It also includes their hardest (2B) graphite yet: a special 2X hard graphite formulated specifically for this version.
Sold individually.
