Souls Grown Deep: African American Vernacular Art of the South, Vol. 1 » (1 ED)

The first comprehensive overview of an important genre of American art, Souls Grown Deep explores the visual-arts genius of the black South. This first work in a multivolume study introduces 40 African-American self-taught artists, who, without significant formal training, often employ the most unpretentious and unlikely materials. Like blues and jazz artists, they create powerful statements amplifying the call for freedom and vision.

Library Journal

This massive volume provides an exhaustively detailed examination of the work of Southern African American folk/outsider artists active in the decades following World War II. (A second volume will cover artists active in the 1980s and 1990s.) Through numerous introductory essays and artist biographies, leading scholars in this field emphasize several major themes, including the African cultural qualities to be found in the artwork and how artists expressed ideas and emotions current in the struggle for civil rights. Over 800 mostly color illustrations of the art accompany the text, revealing a remarkably rich diversity of media and style. Oddly enough, there is no bibliography. Owing to the scholarly tone of the text and sheer mass of information provided, this book's audience will be largely limited to scholars and students of African American culture. Nevertheless, because this will long be the definitive work on this subject, it is highly recommended.--Eugene C. Burt, Data Arts, Seattle Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\