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William Edmondson (ca.
1870–1951, US), Squirrel, 1941(?). Limestone,
13 1/2" x 5" x 7 1/2" (34.3 x 12.7 x 19.1 cm). © Philadelphia
Museum of Art. (PMA-3508)
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African-American
artists in the 21st century have embraced every art form, style, and
new development, as well as pioneering many on their own. They have the added
distinction of contributing a unique vision to American art based on the
history of black culture in America, and its rich foundations in African art.
Self-taught artists have a long history in many western cultures, and, in the
United States, particularly in the African American community. If an inquiring
art historian mind thinks about it, “self-taught” probably describes 90 per cent
of the artists on the planet. In the instance of African American art, it is
particularly important, because African slaves in the US passed on their
knowledge of African artistic traditions from one generation to another. This
rich history, in an amazing variety of art forms, sure was not going to be
taught at the National Academy of Design in New York or the Pennsylvania
Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia, the two premier “art schools” of the
1800s! The term I like the best for this genre of art is “visionary,” because
it really is.
William Edmondson was born in Nashville of former slaves. He
worked a number of different jobs, including as a stonemason in the building
trade. When the Depression affected construction jobs, he began carving stone
sculpture around 1931, intrigued by the solid dignity and enduring quality of
the stone medium. Edmondson had no training in sculpture or painting, nor had
he studied American or European art. He believed that God had told him to
become a sculptor and carve pieces of limestone, which he had gathered, lying
in his driveway. He initially began carving tombstones that he sold to members
of his church. Eventually he began carving non-utilitarian works. He carved
limestone exclusively because it was abundant locally and inexpensive. Most of
it was discarded sections of street curbstones. Sometimes he could find larger
pieces on the sites of building demolitions. He used tools he fashioned himself
from old railroad spikes.
Famous fashion photographer Louise Dahl-Wolfe (1895–1989,
US) met Edmondson in 1937. She photographed him in his studio in Nashville,
working and with his pieces. Dahl-Wolfe helped organize a show of twelve of his
works at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. He was the first African
American artist to have a one-person show at the Museum of Modern Art. He was
twice employed in the sculpture division of the Works Progress Administration
during the Great Depression (1929–1940), and had many shows of his work
subsequent to MoMA. He was also photographed in the 1930s by the
photojournalist Consuelo Kanaga (1894–1978), one of the first American
photographers to document the lives and struggles of African Americans.
Many of Edmondson’s subjects involve the animal world. His
early non-tombstone work involved many Biblical subjects, including animals
that were symbolic in the Bible, such as doves. When he expanded his figurative
work to non-religious subjects, he also included the range of animals he
depicted. Many of the animals he chose have symbolic significance in African
art. The African ground squirrel, for example, was considered to be endowed
with sharp wits, resourcefulness, and protection of family. This piece is most
likely the first of many versions he did of this subject, most in the same
pose.
Correlations to Davis
programs: Explorations in Art Grade 1: 4.connections; Explorations in Art
Grade 2: 3.13, 3.14, 3.15-16 studio; Explorations in Art Grade 4: 4.20;
Explorations in Art Grade 5: 4.connections, 4.21-22 studio; Explorations in Art
Grade 6: 2.9-10 studio; A Community Connection: 3.2; Beginning Sculpture: 5;
Exploring Visual Design: 6; The Visual Experience: 10.2; Discovering Art
History: 2.1
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