Charles Ethan Porter
We continue celebrating Black History Month by presenting the work of Charles Ethan Porter. The largely Connecticut-based, New York- and Paris-trained Porter was among the first African American artists to exhibit his work nationally and the only one to specialize in still lifes. This is one of his largest and most impressive works. Its subject—originally an African gourd brought to the New World by 17th-century Spaniards and cultivated by colonists—is also significant. Porter chose to paint a watermelon, an earlier symbol of American abundance—and during the Civil War period one particularly associated with free Blacks—when it was increasingly defined by virulent stereotyping. By reclaiming the subject in artistic terms, Porter challenged a contemporary racist trope.
After 1910, in his later years, Porter’s work deteriorated precipitously; Porter biographer, Hildegard Cummings speculates that racism, poverty and illness played a part in his decline. Suffering from nephritis, he died in 1923, and is buried with family members in Grove Hill Cemetery at the foot of Fox Hill in Connecticut. Art dealers and historians didn’t significantly embrace Porter until the 1980s. Now he is recognized as one of our great still life painters.
P.S. Do you know the hidden meanings behind still lifes? Here is our small guide to the symbols!
P.P.S. If by any chance you are still looking for a 2022 calendar, here you can check out our artsy calendars for 2022. Now 40% off; don't miss them!