Patsy’s Art Corner: David C. Driskell

David Driskell, his art and his life, is the reason for this review.

The book is titled “David C. Driskell Artist and Scholar” by Julie L. McGee. It was a wonderful new discovery of mine recently, when the book crossed my desk one day at work, as I had never heard of the man or his art. It’s a beautiful book with a forward written by Keith Morrison, and has many wonderful color pictures of Driskell’s paintings, collages and prints. I had a very hard time choosing my favorites to include with this review.

Driskell is a black artist, and much of his focus in his art and teaching has been based on his impressions of everyday activities in the lives of African Americans in the South. In his forward, Morrison writes: “To me, Driskell is like an archaeologist, unearthing images of his history, digging them from where they first took hold and were lost in the southern soil, and reassembling their fragments in his paintings and prints.” Driskell’s students were all influenced by him to explore their own roots – no matter where that might take them. He was one of the most important figures to appear in the field of African American Art in that his scholarship established it as a new and distinct field of study.

Included here are a few of my favorites among the outstanding pieces featured in the book. Come by the library and check this one out for yourself! You won’t be disappointed.

David C. Driskell Artist and Scholar: Call Number ND237.D77M333 2006