This story was originally published by ArtsATL.
This year, pioneering landscape painter Richard Mayhew became a centenarian. That means he was born a year before Malcolm X and has been painting since about the time Dwight D. Eisenhower was in the White House. Mayhew is still working today and recently had a resurgence in popularity with a high-profile exhibition at the new Venus Over Manhattan space on Great Jones Street in New York and the survey ”Richard Mayhew: Inner Terrain” at the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art in Sonoma, California.
Over the course of a seven-decade career, Mayhew has tapped his African American and Native American ancestry to bring a personal brand of colorism to a subject matter — the American landscape — that has not been dominant in art since the Hudson River School of the mid-19th century. Nevertheless, Mayhew’s ability to use color as an emotional barometer of American soil soaked in Black and Indigenous blood has made him a leading practitioner of the form.
Courtesy of Black Art in America
Courtesy of Black Art in America
In ”Landscapes for Richard Mayhew” on view at Black Art in America in East Point through Saturday, May 18, curator Faron Manuel has set five original Mayhew paintings and prints in the context of works by 16 other artists responding to Mayhew’s work either in form, content or both. Artists include Curlee Raven Holton, Ted Ellis, Lillian Blades, Freddie Styles, Michi Meko, Emma Amos and more.
A few highlights from the show appear below.
Courtesy of Black Art in America
Courtesy of Black Art in America
Courtesy of Black Art in America
Courtesy of Black Art in America
Courtesy of Black Art in America
Courtesy of Black Art in America
Courtesy of Black Art in America
Courtesy of Black Art in America
Courtesy of Black Art in America
Courtesy of Black Art in America
Courtesy of Black Art in America
Courtesy of Black Art in America
Courtesy of Black Art in America
Courtesy of Black Art in America
Courtesy of Black Art in America
Courtesy of Black Art in America
ART PREVIEW
“Landscapes for Richard Mayhew”
At Black Art in America through Saturday, May 18. 11 a.m.- 6 p.m. Thursday-Saturday. 1802 Connally Drive, East Point. 404-565-1493, blackartinamerica.com
ArtsATL
ArtsATL
MEET OUR PARTNER
ArtsATL (artsatl.org) is a nonprofit organization that plays a critical role in educating and informing audiences about metro Atlanta’s arts and culture. ArtsATL, founded in 2009, helps build a sustainable arts community contributing to the economic and cultural health of the city.
If you have any questions about this partnership or others, please contact Senior Manager of Partnerships Nicole Williams at nicole.williams@ajc.com.
About the Author
