Charles Wilbert White, African American Artist

I have recently found the works of African American and Social Realist Artist Charles Wilbert White at Heritage Gallery online, and I have to say, I am a new-found fan. Charles White was an artist born in 1918 who passed away in 1979. His drawings and paintings, from what I have read, were among the most famous of African American artists, and I would say are among the most touching that I have seen regarding the common subject matter. Naturally, Martin Luther King Jr. being one of my heroes, Charles White's pieces "I Have a Dream" and "I Had a Dream" strike a chord with me, but I also am drawn to his "Love Letter" series ("Love Letter I", "Love Letter II", "Love Letter III").

His work really brings one of my favorite authors, Octavia Butler, to mind - as if his artwork could have easily been perfect for the cover or within the pages of her books, such as "Parable of the Sower," "Kindred," or "Fledgling". Sadly, Octavia Butler passed away unexpectedly in 2006, much to my dismay...

But, for now, back to Charles W. White... upon coming across his online gallery at HeritageGalley.com, I was immediately drawn to the very human and earthy quality to his artwork. His studies and drawings of people really provide me a sense of his sensitivity toward, or knowledge of his subjects, such as his well captured facial expressions - expressive eyes sometimes looking directly out of the artwork and at the viewer, sometimes looking away, and lines, and wrinkles made beautiful. He's an artist I would have had a conversation with (though he passed when I was only 6 years old...). Or, even better, maybe I could have just silently watched him draw or paint, to see how he interacted with his subjects - were they usually close friends of his, or did he just have a knack for capturing emotion in people he hardly knew?

Well, if I have sparked your interest and you want to check his artwork out, the Heritage Gallery's (Los Angeles, CA) website seemed to have the largest collection of images I could find of Charles White's artwork. Enjoy, and please let me know what you think...