Lot 2A
Hale Woodruff
(African American; 1900 - 1980)
Country Road
Oil on canvas
c. 1938. Signed.
Born in Cairo, Illinois in 1900 and raised in Tennessee, Hale Woodruff began attending the John Herron School of Art in 1920, studying under William Forsyth. In 1924, he was forced to quit due to financial pressure. Although finances were always a concern, he continued to persevere, winning the 2nd prize Bronze Medal from the Harmon Foundation for a group of five paintings, including 3 landscapes, a portrait of two women, and a landscape with figures. In addition, he entered the Hoosier Salon in Chicago which accepted three of his paintings.
Soon after, he sailed to France where he spent four years studying and painting. There he met the notable African-American artist Henry O. Tanner who emphasized the importance of the human figure, as opposed to the landscapes Woodruff preferred to paint.
Upon his return to the States in 1931, he accepted a teaching position at Atlanta University. There, Woodruff created and directed the annual Atlanta University art exhibitions which brought African-American artists to national attention. Artistically, his work shifted from provincial landscapes and figure studies to social realist scenes and stylized landscapes. In 1935, he experienced a career breakthrough when he had two woodcuts appear in a major exhibition entitled, "An Art Commentary on Lynching" at the Arthur U. Newton Galleries in New York City.
In 1936, Woodruff received a grant that allowed him to assist Mexican muralist Diego Rivera. His work with Rivera and support from the Federal Arts Project compelled him to undertake his famous Amistad murals for Talledega College, Alabama, which were installed in 1939.
By 1946, Woodruff had moved to New York City to work at New York University. His work began to take on influence from the abstract expressionist movement and included more and more African imagery. He completed large mural commissions for the Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Company in Los Angeles portraying African-American contributions to California history and six murals for Atlanta University titled "The Art of the Negro". New York University showed its appreciation for Woodruff by mounting his first retrospective exhibition, covering his work between 1927 and 1967.
In reaction to the Civil Rights March in 1963, he formed the group, Spiral, with Romare Bearden, Charles Alston, and Norman Lewis to explore their common cultural experiences as black artists.
Woodruff was asked in 1965 by the Department of State's Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, to be a member of the U.S. delegation to the 1st World's Festival of Negro Art in Dakar, Senegal. He was also invited to spend a month visiting Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Liberia.
In 1979, the Studio Museum in Harlem mounted a retrospective exhibition of Woodruff's work. It was to be his last major exhibition. Hale A. Woodruff died on September 6, 1980.
Throughout his career, Hale Woodruff succeeded not only in illuminating the black experience and the importance of heritage to African-Americans, but also in increasing awareness of the contributions of African-Americans to the growth of the United States with his considerable talents.
19.75" x 25.75"
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