February 2000 Issue
Heritage Reflected in Work Of African-American Artists in Current Exhibition at the SC State Museum in Columbia, SC
An urge to tell the stories of their people ties together most of the African-American artists in the exhibit 100 Years/100 Artists: Views of the 20th Century, in South Carolina Art, says Robin Waites, curator of art at the South Carolina State Museum in Columbia, SC. The exhibit currently on view through Mar. 19.
Although they work in a variety of media and styles, "the artists who are represented in this exhibit, the majority of them, have really strong ties to their heritage and that is perceptible in the art they produce," she says.
They also shared the disadvantages of being black in a predominantly white society. Many had to go north to develop their talent. Edwin Harleston (1882-1931) of Charleston, the earliest black artist in the show, studied at the Boston Museum School of Fine Arts. As late as the late 1940s and early 1950s, Merton Simpson of Charleston was advised by his friend and teacher William Halsey to move to New York.
William Henry Johnson (1901-1970), a native of Florence, is perhaps the best-known black artist in the show. "He succeeded in a really big way outside South Carolina," Waites says. The Johnson work in the show reflects his study in Europe of early modem artists, but he is best known for later paintings that reflect black music and urban and rural life.
In contrast to Johnson, Sam Doyle (1906 - 1985) of St. Helena Island was a self-taught artist. He painted on the material he had on hand, often tin or plywood, and displayed his work in his front yard. Like Johnson, he told the stories of his people, including the first embalmer on the island and Dr. Buz, a root doctor.
Photographer Richard Roberts (1880-1936) is an example of an artist "who would have benefited greatly from schooling but worked on his own to develop a wonderful style, a very polished technique," Waites says. He told the stories of the rising black middle class in the Midlands.
Several of the artists - Tom Feelings of Columbia and Simpson and Colin Quashie of Charleston - use their talent to comment on the injustices in society, particularly racism, Waites says. Cecil Williams of Orangeburg, who began selling his pictures when he was nine years old, has photographed the leaders and the foot soldiers of the civil rights movement for nearly half a century.
The work of Tarleton Blackwell of Manning "really is his life story and his family history," Waites says. He grew up on a hog farm and is perhaps best known for his images of these animals. However, his work has broader references. He compares the animals in his paintings to the dwarfs and jesters in the work of the 17th century painter Velasquez.
The work of blacksmith Philip Simmons and basketmaker Mary Jackson reflects African-American heritage. "They transform what is traditionally seen as a craft into art," Waites says.
Arthur Rose (1921-1995) created steel sculptures, mainly of animals and often from scrap metal. "A lot of them are really whimsical animals and figures. I think that speaks to the kind of person he was. He was a person who really loved art and loved what he did." Rose started the art program at Claflin College in Orangeburg. One of his students was Leo Twiggs.
Twiggs, who works primarily in batik, was on the art faculty at South Carolina State University from 1964 until 1998. He is now back at Clafin as distinguished artist-in-residence. "In addition to their wonderful work, they have been strong proponents of African-Americans in art for most of this half of the century," Waites says.
100 Years/100 Artists: Views of the 20th Century in South Carolina Art can be seen until March 19. It is part of Views from the Edge of the Century, a project of the South Carolina Arts Commission and Bank of America. Special funding is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and Palmer Memorial Chapel.
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