Abstract with Photograph of Artist 1975

Clementine Hunter made this untitled painting, Abstract with Photograph of Artist, sometime in the 20th century with oil on canvas. The whole thing shimmers with these tactile, dash-like marks, full of life. It's like Hunter is building her own world, stroke by stroke. Look at the way she's layered the greens and yellows, creating this lush, almost vibrating surface. The paint isn't trying to trick you into thinking it's anything other than itself, it is thick in places, with a texture that invites you in. But then there's that photograph smack in the middle. It's like she's placing herself right in the heart of her creation, making a bold claim about where she belongs. Is this painting about memory, identity, or a personal history? I don't know, and maybe that's the point. Hunter reminds me a bit of Forrest Bess, in that she created her own personal visual language, far outside the mainstream. Both artists leave us with more questions than answers.