The artist is similar to other artists of the period working with collage and sometimes with the figure. When dealing with the figure a concious theme is to stress the outline and shape of the body. Romare Bearden and Ernest Crichlow are two artists who immediately come to mind when checking out the artwork of James Denmark.
James Denmark was born in 1936 in Winter Haven, Florida. He was one among many artists in his family. Like many of her peers, his grandmother excelled at quilting and needlework. Grandfather was a bricklayer with a unique sense of design and style.
Denmark attended the Pratt School of Design in New York. At this time the Abstract Expressionist movement was in full power in its birth place America, Denmark became a huge fan of Jackson Pollack, Clifford Still, and Willem De Kooning.
He has worked in such mediums of posters, gouache, watercolor, woodcuts, etchings, bronze, and collage over his long artistic career.
Low price range: Works in pencil and posters can be had for a few hundred dollars.
High price range: An original painting that was UNTITLED sold at auction for $24,000.
Other websites have works by the artist but I found this to have the widest selection of prints and originals: http://www.artbygolden.com/jdenmark.html
Not much info on the artist. Another African American artist that is often overlooked. Unlike the Highway Painters I wrote about last week, Denmark doesn’t seem to have had a very prolific output over his many years. I hope that over time people come to appreciate the high level of design and his wonderful use of color in his collages. Wonderful color in his floral paintings and collages as well.
Think about trying a collage today!
D
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