Walking into the gallery at Reynolda House Museum of American Art in Winston-Salem, you will feel engulfed by a flowing sea of vibrant color stemming from the exhibit, “Ancestry & Innovation: African American art from the American Folk Art Museum.”
The exhibit, which runs through April 13, is an impressive display featuring work from self-taught African American artists. The paintings in the gallery are especially interesting because they are so simplistic.
“The simplicity of the paintings communicates the artist’s intentions of showing life through the eyes of an ordinary artist,” said Joseph Johnson, a Reynolda House visitor.
These paintings may seem slightly childlike to some people; however, these artists taught themselves without the benefit of professional instruction.
In contrast to the paintings, the sculptures and quilts on display are intricate and complex. The colors the artists used are so vivid that it is hard to take your eyes away from them. The focus of one quilt is a hexagon, which radiates out into the shape of a star. The colors are so vibrant; it seems as if you are looking at the sun itself.
Another impressive piece of art is “The Last Frontier.” This is basically a love seat/end table/primping station all in one. Although it seems like just a bunch of junk thrown together, it has such lucid color, intricate design and amazing lines that you can’t help but stare at its beauty.
The exhibit offers an exquisite display of extraordinary art made by ordinary people. Reynolda House and its current exhibit of African American art is open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, and is at 2250 Reynolda Rd. –www.reynoldahouse.org