Artist: Hale Woodruff (1900-1980)
Title: Landscape, 1936
Medium: oil on canvas
Venue: National Gallery of Art
This is a new discovery for me. I did not know about African American artist Hale Woodruff. I love this painting and now I would like to see his paintings of historical events –e.g. Mutiny on the Amistad, Crispus Attucks, etc.– in real life as I did with this painting at the National Gallery of Art.
There is a lot going on here.
I'm a photographer. I see paintings through the eyes of a photographer. The lines in this painting are striking. They at first look random but what I see is that they point from the middle and stretch to the corners.
In doing that I see French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson's 1.5 Rectangle Basic Armature guideline at work here to give a perception of depth to an image and guidance to the viewer's eyes. I don't know if it was intentional but I see it. Imagine two triangular Star Trek Federation pendants. One pendant points from the bottom to the top, its two legs touch the bottom corners while its pointed head crosses the top, and the other Star Trek triangular pendant has its two legs touch the two corners at the top while its head crosses the bottom. Their inside angles meet in the middle of the painting. See how the painting organizes itself now? These organizing lines come in demonstrably handy when photographing landscapes and subjects.
Tags: African American artist landscape National Gallery of Art post-impressionism Hale Aspacio Woodruff Washington District of Columbia United States cubism
Until Jim Crow came
This 1864 painting tells the story of the stealing of the famous thoroughbred, Asteroid, by Confederates.
Seemingly posing for the painter, are groom, jockey and horse. Besides famous horse Asteroid, the crouching jockey-slave Edward Brown was also well-known for winning races. In the background behind these three are Confederate raiders in grey uniforms. This painting portrays the real-life story when Confederates rode into Woodburn Farm, which was a former thoroughbred horse farm near Midway, Kentucky, and stole the world-famous Kentucky stallion, Asteroid, along with other sires.
The horse was later rescued from the rebels after $250 in ransom was paid for it. I suspect winning thoroughbreds, although fast, did not make great war horses. Or they were so famous that they were hard to sell once stolen.
Woodbury Farm packed up and left dangerous Kentucky for Illinois.
After the war, there was a liberal gap in time where Republicans pushed for black men to have full rights as citizens. Jockey Edward Brown found himself a free man. He became a famous trainer and a thoroughbred owner. The horses that the entrepreneur owned and raised would eventually include several Kentucky Derby winners. The owners of Kentucky Derby winners tend to make considerable money in siring fees or anticipated future siring fees.
—-
Painting title: The Undefeated Asteroid (1864)
Artist: Edward Troye
Material: Oil on canvas
Venue: J.B. Speed Art Museum, Louisville, Kentucky
Tags: 13th Amendment 14th Amendment American history Asteroid C.S.A. Civil War history Confederate raiders Edward Brown Jim Crow era Kentucky Rebels Woodburn Farm Woodford County black entrepreneur black history groom jockey painting slave slavery stealing famous stallions thoroughbred
This is a small slice of a much larger artwork that is displayed in the basement of the C21 Museum Hotel in Louisville. It's a watermelon. For those who have seen the original artwork, this is how my eyes first noticed the painting.
Speaking of which, watermelon are grown in a farm not far from my home.
Tags: vivid colors contemporary art art museum downtown Louisville artwork C21 Museum Hotel Kentucky hotel
Vavavoom. This beach scene is a photoed slice of an original, larger painting by artist Mag Klakoviak. As for my eyes, it is part Picasso, part united colors of Benetton but all Klakoviak.
I loved its vivacity.
Tags: art display Kentucky Louisville Artist: Mag Krakoviak vivid colors Mellwood Art Center art for sale contemporary art
Here's proof that cowboys are just the epitome of fun for kids. Even 18th century frontiersman Daniel Boone, who settled the then Wild West of Kentucky, has to take a back seat (he's unseen) to his 19th century counterparts in the buttes of the American southwest.
*Note: Boone founded Boonesborough on the Kentucky River, which is 60 miles east of Danville. Danville was named after Walker Daniel, not Daniel Boone. Still, Boone is considered a local hero in these parts.
Tags: Danville Pediatrics Kentucky Sherriff Wild West poster Daniel Boone Danville cowboy Walker Daniel Lone Ranger