TN 101, Arts and Crafts Session 2: The Crossroads of Memory: Carroll Cloar and the American South

The paintings of Carroll Cloar (1913–1993) rank among the most haunting and beautiful evocations ever made of the American South. Drawing upon family stories, photographs of ancestors, rural scenery, small town life, and memories of his childhood, Cloar captured the quiet richness of a his past. Cloar’s complex style pays homage not only to the great American Realist masters and the pointillism of the Post Impressionists, but blends these elements smoothly with the subtly disturbing images and themes of the Surrealists. His paintings, with their saturated colors, repeating patterns, and shallow picture planes, offer a unique and timeless vision. Dr. Stanton Thomas is chief curator at the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, Florida. While curator at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, he mounted a retrospective of Carroll Cloar’s work and authored the accompanying catalog. He holds a PhD in art history from Case Western Reserve University.