Animated Events
Artist:
Bill Traylor
(American, ca. 1853 - 1949)
Date: ca. 1939
Dimensions:
12 3/4 × 6 7/8 in. (32.4 × 17.5 cm)
framed: 21 1/4 × 17 1/4 in. (54 × 43.8 cm)
Credit Line: San Antonio Museum of Art, Gift of Dr. and Mrs. William Block in honor of Dr. and Mrs. Harmon Kelley
Object number: 94.6
Label Text
In this hunting scene, figures and animals are rendered nearly as silhouettes and float on a monochrome background. Inspired by the people he saw on a busy street, animals and livestock, and objects around him such as those found in a nearby blacksmith shop, Bill Traylor developed a signature style that recalls drawings from ancient civilizations. The artist evokes space by stacking the two-dimensional figures in the picture plane, creating a complex grouping that is lyrical, lively, and mysterious. A self-taught artist, Traylor began drawing at age eighty-five. Born into slavery in 1853, he lived and worked most of his life on an Alabama plantation until he moved to the capital city of Montgomery in 1938. There, he sat on the sidewalk daily and made paintings with available materials including crayons, pencils, and poster paint on surfaces such as cardboard and odd pieces of paper.
(Lana Meador, 2019)
(Lana Meador, 2019)
Not on view
In Collection(s)
The San Antonio Museum of Art is in the process of digitizing its permanent collection. This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect SAMA's complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.
This resource has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.
