Velox Benjamin Ward (American, 1901-1994). Self Portrait, 1992. Oil on Masonite. 17-3/4 x 24 inches (45.1 x 61.0 cm). Si...

Description

Velox Benjamin Ward (American, 1901-1994)
Self Portrait, 1992
Oil on Masonite
17-3/4 x 24 inches (45.1 x 61.0 cm)
Signed and dated lower left: Velox Ward 92

EXHIBITED:
Longview Museum of Fine Arts, Longview, Texas, "East Texas Collects," July 8-September 9, 2002.

Velox Ward, Sr. was a self-taught memory painter. In 1960, Ward began painting at age 59 at the request of his family. Like many other great Folk artists, Ward turned to his memories of growing up in rural East Texas during the early part of the twentieth century. He is known for youthful recollections of his community, including outdoor scenes of ginning cotton, tending a garden, butchering meat, and napping on the porch. Unlike most other memory painters, he refused to rely on the idealized nostalgia of days gone by and strove to infuse his work with as much realism as possible. In Self-Portrait, 1992 Ward presents his version of the classic art historical subject of the studio self-portrait, complete with paint splattered on the floor and walls.

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