Clementine's Art

Many of Clementine's works aren't dated or signed, making it difficult for art historians to pin them down. She also did not name most of her pieces, and the 'titles' affixed to them were later added by art collectors. Her work was first brought to attention through Look magazine, as well as a showing at the New Orleans Arts and Crafts fair in 1949 debuted her talents ("Natchitoches" Places). Some of these same works were later shown in The New Orleans Museum of Art and in exhibitions throughout the South. Although the art community has struggled with forgeries of Clementine Hunter's work, her pieces remain both valuable and treasured. She is considered one of Louisiana's most successful female artists, and a profound contributor to the genre of folk art.

 Clementine was never formally trained in art, and her depictions are sincere and vibrant portrayals of community living amongst the Southern working class:

Clementine's first oil painting - zinnias in a bowl, painted on cardboard.

Detail of the zinnia still life; shows impasto, or heavy application of paint.

Some of Clementine's works are divided into registers or friezes, a technique commonly used in antiquity to aid storytelling and to arrange the composition. This technique often implements hierarchy of scale, in which more important figures (or figures that are more central to the subject) are depicted as physically larger than others. Both of these styles are used regularly in folk art, as well as in pieces from civilizations such as Ancient Rome and Egypt.

Many of her pieces are also indicative of the daily life and work of Southern black men and women. Surrounded by plantation communities her whole life, Clementine found solace in the sincerity of an honest, hardworking lifestyle. She even indicated that she enjoyed activities such as picking cotton, and monotonous tasks seemed to soothe her creative mind (McKittrick "Clementine"). The negative implications of these pieces denote that during Clementine's life, black people in the South were still often underpaid and undervalued as member of society, and were primarily only able to seek work in domestic and labor jobs.

This piece carries one of the few signatures in Clementine's work, which she began to affix to her paintings later in life. Unfamiliar with writing, Clementine copied the initials of one of the owners of Melrose plantation. To avoid confusion with said owner, she inverted her own initials (McKittrick "Clementine").

Notice how prevalent the divisions in some of Clementine's paintings are, allowing for a more complex story within a single composition.

Many of Clementine's works are also religious in nature. Religion played an important role in her life. Raised Catholic, Clementine regularly attended church and felt that God played a significant part in her creative talent. We can see the same church depicted several times throughout her works, so it is likely that she was painting in part based on events that actually happened. Some of her works represent funerals, while others depict baptisms and even weddings (not shown). Work, play, and spirituality were all heavily intertwined, as we can see from the multifaceted subjects of Clementine's paintings. Perhaps most significant is Clementine's black Jesus, which shows a crucified Jesus painted in a deep, exaggerated black. Clementine's motive for this work is unknown, but it is clear that her relationship with her God was shaped by her experiences - both material and spiritual. Does the figure represented have another identity? Is she making a statement about race, prejudice, or religion? The answers are unclear, but we can be sure that her honest portrayal carried the weight of her beliefs with it.

I've chosen to finish with this piece, which is my favorite of Clementine's works. The genuine, simple joy pictured here is conveyed so clearly that I can't help but feel it every time I look at the picture; it is innately human and universal. It is also intimate at the same time, and very interwoven into Clementine's unique community. The act of play, represented by the swing, is one of relaxation and elation, while the woman braiding the girl's hair holds a more sentimental value. Pictured is a moment of piece, a community achieved between these two figures by a simple act of kinship. I feel that this work is reflective of Clementine's body of work because it is both vivid and honest, unique and universal. Though these paintings are significantly rooted in place and experience, they also pay homage to individual emotional experience. This connection is ultimately both transcendent and celebratory of the limitations of physical art. Her pieces are cultural and historic treasures, and they preserve moments in time and space in a way that nothing else can.

Pictures: ("Clementine" Gilley's), ("Clementine" Knowla)