Toe to Toe

Fletcher Martin

Fletcher Martin began working as a printer at age 12 and, after dropping out of high school, worked as a lumberjack and professional boxer until enlisting in the U.S. Navy in 1922 at age 18. Fletcher drew on his early life experiences to inform his artwork for the rest of his life.

Working with AAA Fletcher created this lithograph in 1965 in an edition of 250 impressions. Two boxers stand toe to toe as they try to do damage to each other. He drew the composition using flat shapes with no shadows. He sets up the space and tension by interweaving the three figures in the ring, which is implied with three horizontal white lines through a field of black in the background.