“Home Place” by Jonathan Green
Noted art critics and reviewers consider Jonathan Green one of the most important painters of the southern experience. He was raised by his grandparents in the Gullah culture of coastal South Carolina. Having received formal training at The Art Institute of Chicago, Green has made his living as an artist since the early 1980s. His limited edition prints now go for $4000+, so I guess I’ll content myself with his postcards, magnets and such. He also has a coffee table book available, Gullah Images: The Art of Jonathan Green, with an introduction by Pat Conroy, care of the University of South Carolina Press.
Last Friday night, we had the pleasure of seeing Green’s work come to life in three dimensions, as the Columbia City Ballet performed Off the Wall & Onto the Stage…Dancing the Art of Jonathan Green at the historic Lucas Theatre in downtown Savannah. I didn’t know I liked ballet– having been previously exposed only to The Nutcracker–but I can honestly say the graceful presentation of this show was stunning in its execution and originality.
For a great write up on Green and the event, see this Naples Daily News piece (registration required).