Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
A celebration of contemporary art by self-taught Black Southern artists
This book examines the art-historical significance of a major group of self-taught artists from the American South.My Soul Has Grown Deepfeatures works by Black painters and multi-media artists including the pioneering constructions of Thornton Dial and renowned quilts from Gee s Bend, Alabama. Nearly 60 remarkable examples originally collected by the Souls Grown Deep Foundation are featured here, alongside insightful texts that explore their evocation of a Southern Black aesthetic, establishing important connections to the mainstream of contemporary art.
The book s three essays illuminate the artists novel use of found or salvaged materials, the work of the Gee's Bend artists in the broader history of American quilts, and the political context of the American South during and after the Civil Rights era, in which this art is grounded. The works described, and beautifully illustrated, tell a remarkable story of creativity in the face of enormous difficulties, and were made by artists whose determination produced new and unique forms of artistic expression."
Synopsis
My Soul HasGrown Deep considers the art-historical significance of self-taught Black artists, many working under conditions of poverty and isolation, in the American South. It features paintings and drawings, mixed-media and sculptural works, and quilts, including pieces ranging from the pioneering paintings of Thornton Dial (1928-2016) to the renowned quilts made in Gee's Bend, Alabama. Nearly 60 remarkable examples--originally collected by the Souls Grown Deep Foundation--are illustrated alongside insightful texts that situate them in the context of rural Southern life, simultaneously revealing their counterintuitive connections to mainstream contemporary art while considering them on their own terms.
Art historians Cheryl Finley, Randall R. Griffey, and Amelia Peck illuminate the artists' novel use of found or salvaged materials and the striking graphic aesthetic of the quilts, while a thoughtful essay by novelist Darryl Pinckney provides the historical and political context of the American South, during and after the Civil Rights era, in which this art is grounded. Each of the 60 works, described and outstandingly illustrated, tells a remarkable story of artists who faced enormous difficulties, and whose creativity and determination produced extraordinary and unique forms of artistic expression.
Synopsis
Beautifully illustrated, this book is a new consideration of extraordinary art created by Black artists during the mid-20th century.
Synopsis
A new consideration of extraordinary art created by Black artists during the mid-20th century My Soul Has Grown Deep considers the art-historical significance of contemporary Black artists working throughout the southeastern United States. These paintings, drawings, mixed-media compositions, sculptures, and textiles include pieces ranging from the profound assemblages of Thornton Dial to the renowned quilts of Gee's Bend. Nearly 60 remarkable examples are illustrated alongside insightful texts that situate them in the history of modernism and the context of African American experience in the 20th-century South. This remarkable study simultaneously considers these works on their own merits while also making connections to mainstream contemporary art.
Art historians Cheryl Finley, Randall R. Griffey, and Amelia Peck illuminate shared artistic practices, including the novel use of found or salvaged materials and the artists' interest in improvisational approaches across media. Novelist and essayist Darryl Pinckney provides a thoughtful consideration of the cultural and political history of the American South, during and after the Civil Rights era. These diverse works, described and beautifully illustrated, tell the compelling stories of artists who overcame enormous obstacles to create distinctive and culturally resonant works of art.