Study for "Gibson Bayou Anthology"

Study for "Gibson Bayou Anthology"

The Gibson Bayou Cemetery with deceased

The subject of this drawing is a graveyard, with the deceased standing next to each grave. The figures are detailed, each in a unique pose by their grave, with detailed faces. The graves of the first row are engraved with names, though these fade throughout the rest of the graveyard. The details of the figures fade with perspective. There are trees in the background along the left and right edges of the drawing, as well as some at the horizon line. Cloar wandered this graveyard as a child and was familiar with many of the people inhabiting it. His drawing of the individuals was based on several visual sources such as photographs and newspaper clippings, in addition to his own memory. His composition involved simplifying the monuments and rearranging the cemetery. This work offers a unique look at how Cloar's works changed from practice to final composition, with changing details such as the bullet hole in the front figure's forehead, which was kept out of the final painting.

Carroll Cloar

Patricia Cloar Milsted

Art Museum of the University of Memphis

1956

Rachel Wilson

Pencil on Paper, 25.5 x 36"

English

American

2008.003.001