Carroll Cloar
Encyclopedia
Carroll Cloar was a nationally known 20th century painter born in Earle, Arkansas
, who focused his work on surreal
views of Southern U.S.
themes and on poetically portraying childhood memories of natural scenery, buildings, and people, often working from old photographs found in his family albums.
Guy Northrop, in his introduction on page 24 to Hostile Butterflies and Other Paintings by Carroll Cloar, (1977), quoted Cloar describing his images as "American faces, timeless dress and timeless customs ... the last of old America that isn't long for this earth." His Panther Bourne work depicted a surreal, Southern-mythic nature scene. Cloar employed pointillism
in his painting "Waiting up for Lettie," creating over 800 works in his lifetime.
He moved to Memphis
in 1930, attending Southwestern at Memphis College (later known as Rhodes College
) as an English major. His recurrent themes of a "homecoming," implying that the essential beauty of a locale is best understood by one who has left a beloved place behind and then returned, are echoed in his own personal experience of traveling abroad for years and then returning to the South. He began his travels in Europe after college, before returning to Memphis to study at Memphis College of Art
. He studied at the Art Students League of New York
from 1936 to 1940.
A series of lithographs he created in that period of the landscape and people of his Earle, Arkansas, hometown led to his receipt of a McDowell Traveling Fellowship in 1940. Cloar traveled throughout the western United States and Mexico until World War II
began. He then joined the Army Air Corps
for the war effort.
Cloar visited Mexico on a 1946 Guggenheim Fellowship
. He traveled around Central and South America until 1950. His first one-man show was held in 1953 in Memphis. He moved permanently to Memphis in 1955, after determining the direction of his art was rooted in his Southern U.S. experience.
Cloar then completed 14 works in 1955, including the representative work, "My Father Was Big as a Tree." A New York showing in 1956 helped establish his career nationally. Tennessee museums later held more than 10 exhibitions of his works, while he also displayed his work in New York showings.
Cloar died in Memphis in 1993.
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, who focused his work on surreal
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
views of Southern U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
themes and on poetically portraying childhood memories of natural scenery, buildings, and people, often working from old photographs found in his family albums.
Guy Northrop, in his introduction on page 24 to Hostile Butterflies and Other Paintings by Carroll Cloar, (1977), quoted Cloar describing his images as "American faces, timeless dress and timeless customs ... the last of old America that isn't long for this earth." His Panther Bourne work depicted a surreal, Southern-mythic nature scene. Cloar employed pointillism
Pointillism
Pointillism is a technique of painting in which small, distinct dots of pure color are applied in patterns to form an image. Georges Seurat developed the technique in 1886, branching from Impressionism. The term Pointillism was first coined by art critics in the late 1880s to ridicule the works...
in his painting "Waiting up for Lettie," creating over 800 works in his lifetime.
He moved to Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
in 1930, attending Southwestern at Memphis College (later known as Rhodes College
Rhodes College
Rhodes College is a private, predominantly undergraduate, liberal arts college located in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. Originally founded by freemasons in 1848, Rhodes became affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in 1855. Rhodes enrolls approximately 1,700 students pursuing bachelor's and master's...
) as an English major. His recurrent themes of a "homecoming," implying that the essential beauty of a locale is best understood by one who has left a beloved place behind and then returned, are echoed in his own personal experience of traveling abroad for years and then returning to the South. He began his travels in Europe after college, before returning to Memphis to study at Memphis College of Art
Memphis College of Art
Memphis College of Art, known before 1985 as the Memphis Academy of Arts, is a small, private college of art and design located in Memphis, Tennessee's Overton Park adjacent to the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. It offers Bachelor of Fine Arts, Master of Fine Arts, Master of Arts in Art Education...
. He studied at the Art Students League of New York
Art Students League of New York
The Art Students League of New York is an art school located on West 57th Street in New York City. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists, and has maintained for over 130 years a tradition of offering reasonably priced classes on a...
from 1936 to 1940.
A series of lithographs he created in that period of the landscape and people of his Earle, Arkansas, hometown led to his receipt of a McDowell Traveling Fellowship in 1940. Cloar traveled throughout the western United States and Mexico until World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
began. He then joined the Army Air Corps
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
for the war effort.
Cloar visited Mexico on a 1946 Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
. He traveled around Central and South America until 1950. His first one-man show was held in 1953 in Memphis. He moved permanently to Memphis in 1955, after determining the direction of his art was rooted in his Southern U.S. experience.
Cloar then completed 14 works in 1955, including the representative work, "My Father Was Big as a Tree." A New York showing in 1956 helped establish his career nationally. Tennessee museums later held more than 10 exhibitions of his works, while he also displayed his work in New York showings.
Cloar died in Memphis in 1993.
Museums that have acquired Cloar's works
- Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover, MA
- Arkansas Arts CenterArkansas Arts CenterOne of the leading cultural institutions in the state, the Arkansas Arts Center is located on the corner of 9th and Commerce streets in MacArthur Park, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA. The Arkansas Arts Center was founded in 1960, but the idea began in 1914, when the Fine Arts Club of Arkansas formed...
, Little Rock, AR - Art Museum of Sunrise, Charleston, WV
- Brooklyn Museum of Fine Art, Brooklyn, NY
- Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, OH
- Carroll Reese Museum, Johnson City, TN
- Cheekwood Museum, Nashville, TN
- Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR
- High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA
- Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture GardenHirshhorn Museum and Sculpture GardenThe Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is an art museum beside the National Mall, in Washington, D.C., the United States. The museum was initially endowed during the 1960s with the permanent art collection of Joseph H. Hirshhorn. It was designed by architect Gordon Bunshaft and is part of the...
, Washington, DC - Library of Congress, Washington, DC
- Memphis Brooks Museum of ArtMemphis Brooks Museum of ArtMemphis Brooks Museum of Art is an art museum in Memphis, Tennessee. The Brooks Museum, which was founded in 1916, is the oldest and largest art museum in the state of Tennessee. The museum is a privately funded nonprofit institution located in Overton Park in Midtown Memphis.The original...
, Memphis, TN - Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
- Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, MS
- Montgomery Museum of Fine ArtsMontgomery Museum of Fine ArtsThe Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts is a museum located in Montgomery, Alabama, USA, featuring several art collections. For seventy years, the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts has been a showcase for the visual arts in Central Alabama...
, Montgomery, ALAlabamaAlabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland... - Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
- Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, FL
- Neuberger Museum, Purchase, NY
- Newark Museum, Newark, NJ
- Rockford Art Gallery, Rockford, IL
- Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University, MA
- State University of New York, Albany, NY
- Tennessee Fine Arts Center at Cheekwood, Nashville, TN
- Tennessee State Museum, Nashville, TN
- Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, CT
- Whitney Museum, New York, NY
- Williams College Museum of Art, Williamstown, MA