Michael Sporn Animation – Splog

- An artist whose work has really grabbed me this past year is Archibald Motley Jr.. He was born in New Orleans in 1891 and died in 1981. His parents moved him to Chicago with them when he was one year old. His father was a Pullman porter on the Michigan Central Railroad; this is where he met Dr. Frank W. Gunsaulus, President of what was to become the Illinois Institute of Technology. Gunsaulus took an interest in young Archibald and ultimately helped him get into the art institute of Chicago. He worked with his father for a while on the railroad, but continued to draw, paint and exhibit. After winning a grant in 1929, he studied in Paris for a year before returning to his home, Chicago, where he worked most of his life.

His work has been associated with the Harlem Renaissance, though he never lived in Harlem. He painted portraits and the world he was close to, always very personal work. His portraits focus on the character of his subjects and are very direct in approach. Many of these portraits present strong women performing ordinary tasks. Though, his most famous paintings record the cafe settings in Chicago during the height of the Jazz era.

To me, his work vibrates with life, merging the styles of early Joseph Stella and Thomas Hart Benton. Motley’s ethnicity vibrates to the core of his work. Sensitive colors, a dynamic line, crowded groupings of people all teeming with life.

His use of black is bold and striking, framing bits and pieces of characters so that he can create a mood. This helps to highlight colors he sparkles around the painting. There’s a music playing in his head, and we can almost hear it in these paintings.

Fortunately we have an oral history of his life recorded in the Library of Congress to preserve some of his thoughts. There’s one relatively recent book available, Archibald J. Motley Jr. by Amy Mooney.

(Click on any image to enlarge.)

Featured paintings:
1. The Plotters (1933)
2. Blues (1929)
3. Tongues (1927)

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