Clementine Hunter (American, 1886-1988). Ploughing. Pen and ink on paper. 11 x 12-7/8 inches (27.9 x 32.7 cm) (sheet). S...

Description

Clementine Hunter (American, 1886-1988)
Ploughing
Pen and ink on paper
11 x 12-7/8 inches (27.9 x 32.7 cm) (sheet)
Signed lower left: Clementine
Inscribed on the reverse: FM 83

PROVENANCE:
The artist;
Private collection, Sulphur, Louisiana, acquired from the above;
By descent to the present owner.

In 1900, Clementine Hunter moved with her family to the Melrose Plantation on the Cane River, outside Natchitoches, Louisiana. Melrose soon became a haven for many artists and writers including Alberta Kinsey, Francois Mignon, and Lyle Saxon. At the age of 54, Clementine Hunter was encouraged by visiting artists to try painting artworks herself. She used leftover paints and began "marking pictures" on any surface she could find --old bottles, cardboard scraps, and even brown paper bags. Her works told the story of plantation life from daily activities to special occasions. One of Louisiana's most celebrated folk artists, Clementine Hunter's paintings can be seen in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., the Museum of American Folk Art in New York, the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, the Oprah Winfrey Collection in Chicago, and the New Orleans Museum of Art.

We wish to thank Tom Whitehead for his invaluable cataloguing assistance.


More information about Clementine Hunter. See also: Hunter, Clementine Artist.

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