1977
Roland Ayers was born on July 2, 1932, the only child of Alice and Lorenzo Ayers and grew up in the Germantown district of Philadelphia. Ayers served in the US Army (stationed in Germany) before studying at the Philadelphia College of Art (currently University of the Arts). He graduated with a BFA in art education, 1954. He traveled Europe, 1966–67, spending time in Amsterdam and Greece in particular. During this period, he drifted away from painting to focus on linear figurative drawings of a surreal nature. His return home inaugurated the artist’s most prolific and inspired period (1968–1975). Shortly before his second major trip abroad in 1971–72 to West Africa, Ayers began to focus on African themes and African American figures populated his work almost exclusively. Despite Ayers’ travel and exploration of the world, he gravitated back to his beloved Germantown, a place he endowed with mythological qualities in his work and literature. His autobiographical writing focuses on the importance of place during his childhood. Ayers’ journals meticulously document the ethnic and cultural make-up of Germantown and tell a compelling story of class marginalization that brought together poor families despite racial differences. The distinctive look and design of Germantown inform Ayers’ visual vocabulary. It is a setting with distinctive Gothic Revival architecture and haunting natural beauty. These characteristics are translated and recur in the artist’s imagery. During his childhood, one of the only books in the Ayers household was an illustrated Bible. The images within had a profound effect on the themes and subjects that would appear in his adult work. Figures in Ayers’ drawing often seem trapped in a narrative of loss and redemption. Powerful women loom large in the drawings, they suggest the female role models his journal record in early life. The drawings can sometimes convey a strong sense of conflict and at other times, harmony. Nature and architecture seem to have an antagonistic relationship that is, ironically, symbiotic. A critical turning point in the artist’s career came in 1971, when he was included in the extremely controversial Whitney Museum show, Contemporary Black Artists in America. The exhibition gave Ayers an international audience and served as a calling card for introductions he would soon make in Europe. Ayers is a particularly compelling figure in a period when black artists struggled with the idea of authenticity. A question often asked was “Is your work too black or not black enough?” Abstractionists were considered by some peers to be sell-outs, frauds or worse. Figurative work was accused of being either sentimental or politically radical depending on the critical source. Ayers made the choice early on to be a figurative artist but considered his work devoid of political content. Organizations such as Chicago’s Afri-Cobra in the late 1960s asserted that the only true black art of any relevance must depict the black man and woman. A martial agenda of this nature trivialized the work in Ayers’ view. A devotee of Eastern religions, Ayers sought to explore deeper subjects of a less topical nature, thereby stepping outside political discourse. This is not to suggest that he was a man who rejected the physical world. He was profoundly interested in awareness of the environment and how it relates to self-awareness. He often spoke of universality and timelessness as qualities to strive for in his art. Roland Ayers, In His Own Words, ”A person who refuses or is unable to give in to the consensus of his or her society may retain the capacity to see the world in a vastly different way. That person, in addition to having his or her construct of the world — and we all have that — usually has also retained the capacity to be more aware of that unique way of seeing as well as to use it."
A Gathering of African Women, by Kinioka
Located in San Francisco, CA
This painting depicts a gathering of female figures in a traditional or communal setting, known to be a common theme in this style of African art. The figures take nearly abstract fo...
Cotton, Oil
Balinese Spiritual Figures in a Surreal Painting, Signed
Located in San Francisco, CA
On offer is a 1983 painting by the Indonesian artist Kartika. The painting blends her Southeast Asian roots with East Asian imagery. It features traditional Indonesian or Balinese sp...
Masonite, Oil
Maurice Evans Original Mixed Media Portrait 20th Century
By Maurice Evans
Located in San Francisco, CA
Maurice Evans Original Mixed Media Portrait 20th Century Outstanding original portrait Acrylics and Oil on Paper Dimensions 15.5" wide x 23.5" high T...
Mixed Media, Acrylic
Young African Girl
Located in San Francisco, CA
Colorful little mystery gem. The subject is a young African or African-American girl. The colors and technique are quite interesting. It appears to be a mix of gouache and possibly o...
Mixed Media
Magical Realism Portrait in Mixed Media of Twins
By Inez Storer
Located in San Francisco, CA
This mixed media piece exemplifies Inez Storer's "magical realism," combining paint and collage to explore identity and personal history. The work features familiar motifs like hats ...
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
A Set of Two Original Woodblock Prints of WW II Era Tahitian Life, Signed
By Wolfgang Wolff
Located in San Francisco, CA
On offer are a set comprised of two stunning, original woodblock prints by the German-born artist Wolfgang Wolff (1909–1994). Wolff was a Jewish jurisprudent and administrative law j...
Paper, Ink, Watercolor, Gouache, Woodblock
The Couple II, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
By Angu Walters
Located in Yardley, PA
Here is a portrait from Central Africa of a happy couple. This painting will ship from the USA. Sales benefit only the artist and his family in civil war Cameroon. :: Painting :...
Acrylic
"MOTHER AND DAUGHTER" TEXAS BLACK FOLK ART FRAMED 38 x 26 AFRICAN AMERICAN
By Leon Collins
Located in San Antonio, TX
Leon Collins (Born 1930) Galveston / Navasota Texas Artist Image Size: 38 x 26 Medium: Oil Stick on Canvas "Mother and Daughter" Leon Collins Birthdate Unknown Galveston / Navasota T...
Oil
1970 Haitian Mod Gold Painting Portrait of African American Woman Emilcar Simil
By Emilcar Similien (SIMIL)
Located in Surfside, FL
Feu de Joie 1970 hand signed and dated. Measurements: 25.75 X 25.75 Framed. Image is 23.75 X 23.75 Emilcar Similien, known as Simil was born in 1944 in St. Marc. He finished elementary school in St. Marc and high school in Port-au-Prince. From 1965 until 1971 he studied at the Academy of Beaux-Arts in Port-au-Prince, where he took courses in painting, sculpture, and art history. Simil uses his images of women only as means for displaying patterns, color, and the sparkle of gold jewelry on black skin. He paints with acrylics on Masonite of any size. His surfaces are smooth and polished. Simil delights in beauty, elegance, and grace. This is done in a silhouette style reminiscent of Kara Walker. Emilcar Simil (Similcar) is known for Acrylic painting in high colors of black skinned female figures. He is of the generation of Haitian artists that include Bernard Sejourne, Prospere Pierre-Louis, Levoy Exil, Louisiane Saint Fleurant, Henri Calixte, Paul Dieuseul, Laurent Casimir, Frantz Zephirin, Denis Smith, Philton Latortue, Philome Obin, Préfète Duffaut, Fernand Pierre, Dieudonne L Cedor. Since 1971 he has taught art history and aesthetics at the Academy of Beaux-Arts. He is also an honorary teacher at the private school Juan Vasquez. In 1974, he traveled to the United States to meet American artists and visit major museums. Simil was influenced by Art nouveau and his favorite artist, Gustav Klimt. These influences are most obvious in his paintings of women. Like Bernard Sejourne, Simil delights in beauty, elegance, and grace. But instead of concentrating on pose, he uses his images of women only as vehicles for displaying pattern, color, and the sparkle of gold jewelry on black skin. Only recognizable as females by their contours, their features are not distinguished. There is a playfulness of line that is very different from Sejourne's emphasis on monumentality. Emilcar Similien uses his images of women only as means for displaying patterns, color, and the sparkle of gold jewelry on black skin. He paints with acrylics on Masonite of any size. His surfaces are smooth and polished. Simil delights in beauty, elegance, and grace. He has been exhibiting since 1969 namely in Haiti, USA, Denmark. As Art Critic, Gerald Alexis states in his book Peintres Haitiens "well trained by masters who taught him to excel in his forms, Similien’s works also contain discrete messages” . EXHIBITIONS 1969- Academie des Beaux Arts 1970- Haitian-American Institute 1971- Salon Dante Alighieri, Amb. d'Italie, Port-au-Prince 1972- Christ, Saut-d'Eau 1973- Anderson and Hopkins Gallery, Washington, D.C. 1974- Galerie Mehu, Petion-Ville 1974- Musee d'Art Haitien, Port-au-Prince 1976- Galerie Monnin, One Man Show, Port-au-Prince 1977- Martello Museum, Key West, Florida 1978- Galleriet, Copenhagen, Denmark 1978-1979 - Haitian Art - Brooklyn Museum, New York, Milwaukee Art Center, Wisconsin, Kunst aus Haiti, Berlin, Germany, New Orleans Museum of Art, Louisiana 1978- Brooklyn College, New York 1978- Musee d'Art Haitien, Port-au-Prince 1979 - Haiti, Musee d'Art (Third Generation Artists) 1979- Kunst aus Haiti, West Berlin, Germany 1980- Curacao Museum, Willemstad, Curacao 1981- Sotheby Parke Bernet Auction, New York, NY 1982- Galerie Monnin Third Generation Artists 1982- Exhibit Vorpal Gallery, San Francisco 1982- Centre de Arte Cultural, Italy 1982- International Art Expo, New York, NY 1983- Musee International d'Art Naif, Nice, France 1983- Galerie Bukowskis, Zurich, Switzerland 1984- Exhibit Metropolitan Museum of Art 1985- Galerie Bukowskis, Zurich, Switzerland 1985- Cafe de la Paix Exposition, Paris, France 1986- Three Man Show, Port-au-Prince 1988- Galerie 93, Paris, France 1989- IFA Galerie und Kontaktstelle, Bonn, Germany 1990- Exposition du Palais du Rhin, Strasbourg, France 1992- La Rencontre Des Deux Mondes Vue Par Les Peintres D'Haiti - Martinique, Seville, Rome, Paris, Nantes, Angouleme, Laval, Toulouse, Japan, Montreal, United States, Mexico Haitian art is a complex tradition, reflecting African roots with strong Indigenous, American and European aesthetic and religious influences. Many artists cluster in "schools" of painting, such as the Cap-Haïtien school, which features depictions of daily life in the city, the Jacmel School, which reflects the steep mountains and bays of that coastal town, or the Saint-Soleil School. Centre d’Art, located in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, was founded in 1944 by American watercolorist DeWitt Peters and several prominent Haitians from the intellectual and cultural circles including: Maurice Borno, Andrée Malebranche, Albert Mangonès, Lucien Price, and Georges Remponeau. Popular artists of this movement include: André Pierre, Hector Hippolyte, Castera Bazile...
Canvas, Acrylic Polymer, Acrylic
Homecoming (Black Surrealist Philadelphia artist)
By Roland Ayers
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Roland Ayers (1932-2014). Homecoming, 1971. Ink on paper, 4 1/8 × 6 7/8 inches. Signed and dated. Small toning stain left margin. Artist and art educator, Roland Ayers was ...
Paper, Ink
Soul Sisters -21st Century Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Women Love, Africa
By Olaniyi Timothy
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
The presence of sisters in their community adds a beautiful dimension to life itself. They are not just vibrant hues that enrich the tapestry of existence; they also embody grace, co...
Canvas, Acrylic
Mystical Portrait, Universal Woman Haitian School of Beauty Caribean painting
Located in Norwich, GB
A captivating oil painting by the Haitian master, Albert Desmangles. This piece is a wonderful example of his work within the highly sought-after School of Beauty art movement, which...
Masonite, Oil, Acrylic
