![]() ![]() ![]() Her time in the Catholic school was short-lived therefore she never got the chance to learn how to read or how to write.Īt the age of 14 and speaking only Creole French, Clèmence Reuben, who had now chosen to be known as Clementine Reuben, moved with her family North of Cloutierville to Melrose Plantation in the famed Cane River Valley (now the Cane River National Heritage Area) to work for John Hampton and Carmelita Garrett Henry, also known as 'Miss Cammie. She got her first yet brief formal education at a local Catholic school run by French nuns. Although slavery had been abolished 23 years prior, many Blacks and freed Blacks continued to work under the bitter circumstances of plantation life.Īt the age of four or five Hunter and her family soon left the cotton fields and pecan groves, notably depicted in several of her works, and resettled in the nearby town of Cloutierville, Louisiana. The oldest yet smallest of seven children, Hunter was born into a family of Creole field hands under the harsh working conditions of Hidden Hill Plantation. Learn more about Clementine Hunter's legacy from the Boston Globe or learn more about the African-American Heritage Trail in Louisiana.Conceivably the most prolific African-American female artist, Clementine Hunter (pronounced Clementeen) was born Clémence Reuben in late 1888 to Marie Antoinette Adams a descendent of Virginia slaves and Irish-Native American-French Janvier Reuben. Keep an eye out for her distinctive style during your travels-she’s an #OnlyLouisiana icon! The gift shop at Melrose Plantation and many shops in the National Historic Landmark District carry a variety of souvenirs with reprints of Hunter’s work. If you visit Melrose Plantation, head to the African American House to see the second-story with nine of Hunter's murals depicting the everyday lives and events of African Americans.Īlthough Hunter originally sold her artwork for as little as one dollar (or 25 cents to look through her gallery), her pieces often sell for top price today and have been featured in many prestigious art museums across the globe. Because of the vast number of paintings and her unique painting style, her artwork plays an important role in understanding life in the Cane River region during the early- to mid-twentieth century. Using both bright colors and the size and scale of objects in her paintings, she conveyed how she felt about the people in her community (being painted bigger meant being important). A self-taught painter from Louisiana, Clementine Hunter is known for her colorful and straightforward scenes culled from her memories of life on a Southern plantation. She painted scenes from the plantation world around her: hanging clothes to dry, funeral processionals and people in her community. As a cook and domestic servant at Louisianas Melrose Plantation, she painted on hundreds of objects available around her - glass snuff bottles, discarded roofing shingles, ironing boards - as well as on canvas. Hunter was a prolific painter who started in her 50s and eventually created more than 5,000 works of art literally leaving her legacy on every spare piece of flat surface available. Clementine Hunter (1887-1988) painted every day from the 1930s until several days before her death at age 101. Entirely self-taught and immensely prolific, Clementine Hunter earned critical acclaim for thousands of vibrant paintings. In 1955, Hunter was the first African-American artist to have a solo art show at a gallery in New Orleans and another at Northwestern State College (now University.) As an African-American, she was not allowed into the college gallery with white patrons she had to be snuck in the back to see her own exhibition. These supplies were found by Clementine Hunter and famously used to create her first art piece. One of the artists left his supplies at the home after his stay. During the period of time she worked at Melrose, the home’s owner-Cammie Henry-hosted several artists on the grounds under the condition that the artists create or leave. One of the best firsthand records of the daily lives of Cane River inhabitants comes from a prominent Louisiana folk artist, Clementine Hunter.īorn in the late 1880s, Clementine Hunter spent most of her early life working on a farm before moving to Melrose Plantation as a teenager. These stories range from depictions of well-known historical events to portrayals of everyday life. Along the Cane River National Heritage Area in Natchitoches Parish, visitors can find several museums with artifacts and art telling the story of Louisiana’s earliest settlement and its inhabitants. ![]()
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