Carroll Cloar: BIOGRAPHY
Carroll Cloar was born to Charley and Eva (Evvy) Cloar in Earle, Arkansas in 1913. After growing up in what he referred to as the Backwoods, Cloar attended Southwestern College (now Rhodes College) in Memphis, Tennessee, learning about Spanish, language, and life. In addition to his strong desire to travel, he was a gifted storyteller and always thought of himself as a writer. He graduated in 1934 and lied his way into the drummer position with a group of Southwestern musicians performing on a trans-Atlantic cruise line. In 1936, he decided to embrace a new way of telling stories—through art. He enrolled at the Arts Students League in New York, hoping to become a cartoonist, completing works in the style of caricature. This goal changed as his work evolved during his time with the League, shifting to lithography.
His lithography got him noticed, the 1939-1940 New York Fair accepting one of his prints and showcasing his work. In 1940, he was awarded the MacDowell scholarship for his lithographs and began his travels. After exploring west, he made his way to Mexico, working for the Taller de Grafica Popular. His time in Mexico saw the creation of works reflecting on the culture around him. It was also during this time that he wrote “In Arkansas Where I did Dwell,” a manuscript of his personal stories and experiences that accompanied his lithograph series. He had just married his girlfriend Berta and settled in Mexico City when the bombing of Pearl Harbor called him to war. Returning to Mexico City four years later, he and Berta faced a quick divorce. Cloar was awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship in 1946 and left Mexico to explore Latin America, discovering the power of color. The next few years saw him travelling between New York, Spain, and Italy, gaining recognition and experimenting with his style.
It was in 1955 that Cloar decided to leave New York and his travels and settle down in Memphis to explore a more personal approach to his art. A year later, he produced his first solo show in New York, featuring 14 new paintings that evoke memories from his childhood. These pieces earned him renown and became the most desired of his works. He stayed at home in Memphis with wife Patricia, painting on a clockwork schedule from 8am to 4pm every day while listening to the radio in his studio, which was always open to visitors. His studio echoed the personal and reflective nature of his art, with the walls completely covered by newspaper articles and clippings. These walls evoked the moments of his lifetime, revealing his deep connection with the past and the inspiration for his paintings. His work became regionally famous and is still regarded as a representation of Memphis’ cultural identity. Carroll Cloar continued painting at home until 1993, when he decided to take his own life after a long battle with cancer. His works are well known and loved in Memphis, and hang on the walls of many galleries and family homes in the region.