What is Texas Folk Art and what sets it apart? This is what I wanted to know when I heard about the small exhibition inside a frontal gallery at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth.
First, the artists are self-taught. They spent most of their life working odd jobs or raising a family. It usually wasn't until their later years that they retired to their creative outlet, something they felt called to do. They all share a central theme, feeling they were answering a spiritual calling to create works that told stories of their shared histories. Yet a trained eye could see they had no formal training.
"They were completely unfettered by the galleries and the art market," curator Shirley Reece-Hughes said.
The paintings are refreshingly and innocently crafted scenes that lack the perspective and dimensions of a trained artist. Dallas artist Isaac Smith made rudimentary sculptors out of logs using a chain saw and a chisel. The painters had no pretentions about how to go about bringing their stories onto the canvas. They weren't creating for anyone or anything. Some works even have little handwritten notes on them. So what sets them apart from any other hobbyist dabbling in art during retirement?
"These artists stand out because they had a true vision and followed it. A good artist knows exactly what they want to communicate in their art," Reece-Hughes said. "These artists were creating to create."
The paintings tell stories about religion, life on a ranch, a farm or about family. The artists" oeuvres are made with intention. In this exhibition, these paintings and sculptures tell a story of Texas. And most of the pieces are nostalgic.
"Free from market influences, the artists from Texas featured in this exhibition created because they had to. Their desire was to give expression to the passions and the dreams and the visions that our region conjured in their mind's eye," museum director Andrew Walker said.
In 2013, the Amon Carter Museum of American Art began devoting one of its front galleries to Texas art. Reece-Hughes has already put together exhibits that range from Texas regionalism to Texas portraiture.
"The idea for the Texas Gallery was to create a space for regional identity that our visitors can relate to," Reece-Hughes said.
The curator was born and raised in Dallas and did her dissertation on David Bates, a famed Dallas artist. He had an interest in Texas folk art. As she studied the history of art in the state, she learned that some of the artists currently on exhibit in the Texas Gallery greatly inspired future generations of Texas artists.
Some find these early 20th century folk artists" work refreshing because there isn't any pretention. All they carried was their own vision, which encapsulated a universal meaning that resonates with the human heart.
"Their work transitions from personal to universal meanings. Good artists, whether trained or untrained, are able to reach a broad audience," Reece-Hughes said.
Texas Folk Art runs through Sept. 25.
