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Charles White is one of my absolute favorite artists. I was introduced to his work some time ago and was captivated by his impressively large and masterful black and white drawings and original prints. Some artists start late in life like Charles Pippin, others begin when they're young. Charles White began painting at the age of seven. At fourteen he and a friend established a lucrative sign painting business, painting signs for local businesses and while still a teen his work garnered attention through scholarships. This talented Black child became a respected fine artist, muralist, activist and educator.

Charles White was born and raised on the south side of Chicago, surrounded by poverty. Having lived through the Great Depression, raised by a single mother, his early works were representative of what he saw and knew. It was poverty and racism that had a deep and lasting effect on the direction of his life and work and he determined to use art to fight both.

His life's work and mission as an artist was born from a time of racial hatred in our country and was the catalyst to use the means available to him to address it. The climate in America and the artists desire to motivate others to action enabled him to produce a body of work that is prolific and moving. An early and major influence in Charles Whites's work was his time in Mexico. White was married to Elizabeth Catlett (1915 -2012) another accomplished black artist. A fellowship for Catlett enabled the couple to travel to Mexico where White met leading Mexican muralists Diego Rivera, José Orozco, Alfaro Siqueiro, and Pablo Higgens. These artists used art as social activism and the years he spent in Mexico both solidified and affirmed his purpose and prepared him technically as a print maker. Working at Talier de Graphica, he honed his printmaking skills later producing works like Micah, Bessie Smith and others."

The body of Charles White's work is figurative, although he experimented with cubism he rejected abstract art and embraced realism as the vehicle to communicate the injustice of the Black experience. It was the inhumanity of human suffering that he wanted to expose and realism would support his desire to use art for social change. His images are so striking and powerful and his strength as an artist lay in the beautiful and often heroic portraits of blacks and images that addressed adversity. A skilled draftsman but also a very accomplished painter, he chose to work primarily in black and white and elevated the use of a limited palette to a higher level of artistic expression that I'd seen from any master. His treatment of each subject, and mastery in charcoal, pen & ink, etchings, graphite or lithography and use of size also set his work apart. As his work gained attention he was collected by museums and the upper and middle class but his desire to make his work accessible to Blacks of lesser means led him to produce commercial offset lithographic reproductions. Throughout his long career the artist dealt exclusively with issues and aspects of life that concerned the black community and his success in light of that is noteworthy.

What is fascinating about Charles White's story are the obstacles he overcame to pursue what he loved and felt called to do and God in His sovereignty has allowed his accomplishments to pave the way for others. As an artist, the lesson for me from Charles White's work is to have an unwavering commitment to your artistic vision and to be exceptional in your craft. Use the links above or below to view the artist's work online.

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