Edgar Tolson
Encyclopedia
Edgar Tolson was a woodcarver from Kentucky
who became a well-known folk art
ist.
He was born in Trent Fork, Wolfe County as the fourth of eleven children and educated through the sixth grade. He worked as a carpenter and stonemason and was married twice, fathering eighteen children in all. From his youth, woodcarving was always a hobby of his. Although Tolson began working in the tradition of the Appalachian woodcarvers before him, after suffering a stroke
in 1957, he became a full-time woodcarver and artist, and his subject matter grew increasingly idiosyncratic.
Tolson first came to national attention through the Grassroots Craftsmen, an initiative of Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty
that helped Appalachian craftspeople to sell their works. Ralph Rinzler of the Smithsonian Institution
was impressed by Tolson's figures, and included them in the 1971 Festival of American Folklife. University of Kentucky
professor Michael Hall also became Tolson's primary dealer at this time, and his work was included in the 1973 Whitney Biennial.
Tolson is best known for his "Fall of Man" cycle, a series of carvings portraying the story of Adam and Eve.
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
who became a well-known folk art
Folk art
Folk art encompasses art produced from an indigenous culture or by peasants or other laboring tradespeople. In contrast to fine art, folk art is primarily utilitarian and decorative rather than purely aesthetic....
ist.
He was born in Trent Fork, Wolfe County as the fourth of eleven children and educated through the sixth grade. He worked as a carpenter and stonemason and was married twice, fathering eighteen children in all. From his youth, woodcarving was always a hobby of his. Although Tolson began working in the tradition of the Appalachian woodcarvers before him, after suffering a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
in 1957, he became a full-time woodcarver and artist, and his subject matter grew increasingly idiosyncratic.
Tolson first came to national attention through the Grassroots Craftsmen, an initiative of Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty
War on Poverty
The War on Poverty is the unofficial name for legislation first introduced by United States President Lyndon B. Johnson during his State of the Union address on January 8, 1964. This legislation was proposed by Johnson in response to a national poverty rate of around nineteen percent...
that helped Appalachian craftspeople to sell their works. Ralph Rinzler of the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
was impressed by Tolson's figures, and included them in the 1971 Festival of American Folklife. University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
professor Michael Hall also became Tolson's primary dealer at this time, and his work was included in the 1973 Whitney Biennial.
Tolson is best known for his "Fall of Man" cycle, a series of carvings portraying the story of Adam and Eve.