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John Biggers' Homeland
Title: The Garbage Man, 1944
Artist: John Biggers (American, 1924-2001)
Medium: Oil on Board
Dimensions: 40" x 33",
Signed
Image Courtesy: Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, LLC, New York, NY
Muralist, printmaker, sculptor, and painter all describe the
extraordinary John Biggers.
John Biggers: My America
New Orleans Museum of Art
January 22 - March 13, 2005
Title: Freedom March, 1952
Artist: John Biggers (American, 1924-2001)
Medium: Terra Cotta
Dimensions: 20 1/2" x 7 1/2" x 12"
Image Courtesy: Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, LLC, New York, NY
Biggers' works evoke the experiences of African-Americans throughout the
civil rights struggles and beyond. Born in 1924 his early childhood was during
the Depression Years, followed by the Second World War and then into the Civil
Rights Struggle.
Title: The Harvesters, 1947
Artist: John Biggers (American, 1924-2001)
Medium: Conté Crayon and Gouache on Paperboard
Dimensions: 40" x 29 7/8",
Signed
Permanent Collection and Image Courtesy: Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, LLC, New York, NY
Born to a poor family in North Carolina, John found himself helping his
mother, a laundress, support their family after the death of his father. Many of
his later works would includes images of washing, a throwback to some of his
earliest memories and struggle, but in this case was merely to survive and support
his siblings.
John attended Hampton University and at the time planned a career in plumbing,
which was an accepted field for African Americans. Then he
met Viktor Lowenfeld, the art educator, who encouraged Biggers to take a drawing
class, and that changed his life.
Lowenfeld taught to paint what you know. In essence bring your cultural
values and impressions into your art. He also taught his students to embrace the influences
of childhood in their works rather than eradicate the memories forever.
Biggers found success and appreciation for his artistic talent when Dying
Soldier, a mural, was included in the Young Negro Art
Exhibition at New York's Museum of Modern Art.
Title: Coming Home from Work, 1944
Artist: John Biggers (American, 1924-2001)
Medium: Oil on Board
Dimensions: 40" x 32"
Signed and Dated
Image Courtesy: Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, LLC, New York, NY
The relationship between the two continued. When Lowenfeld transferred to
Pennsylvania State he brought Biggers with him. At that college John Biggers
earned his doctorate in 1954 for his research into his mural The
Contributions of Negro Women to Life and Education in America.
Thanks to a UNESCO fellowship, in 1957 John Biggers was one of the earliest
African American artists to visit Africa and it influenced his work. His famous
work, Jubilee: Ghana Harvest Festival, was painted shortly after he
returned to his home.
Dr. Biggers African experience resulted in an illustrated book he authored,
Ananse: The Web of Life in Africa.
His earliest works reflect the struggle and injustices faces by African
Americans in society. His later works demonstrate hope as his subjects celebrate
their creativity and lives. This served to demonstrate the survival and evolution of their community and
culture.
| Maya Angelou described Bigger's oeuvre, stating that it
"leads us through his expressions into the discovery of ourselves at our
most intimate level." High praise indeed! |
Title: Cotton Pickers, 1947
Artist: John Biggers (American, 1924-2001)
Medium: Conte Crayon and Gouache on Paperboard
Dimensions: 39 5/8" x 29 3/4",
Signed
Image Courtesy: Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, LLC, New York, NY
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