Theora Hamblett

Note: Renowned for her self-taught painting style, Theora Hamblett became one of Mississippi’s most celebrated and distinguished artists. Hamblett began her professional career late in life at the age of fifty-five, eschewing the abstract style popular at the time in favor of subjects more personal. Over the ensuing twenty-two years, she developed an extraordinary oeuvre that is as unique as it is powerful. Many of Hamblett’s paintings concentrated on her childhood memories, especially of the chicken farm in Paris, Mississippi where she spent her childhood. In nearly all her landscape paintings, she included animals or people, with the belief that those additions gave life to the scenes. She also painted many landscapes that featured children playing games to evoke a sense of nostalgia. After an accident which broke her hip and required surgery in 1954, Hamblett began to paint her dreams and visions, many with religious themes and elements. The same year, New York gallery owner and famous collector, Betty Parsons, discovered

Hamblett’s work and subsequently one of her paintings was included in a 1955 show of new acquisitions at the Museum of Modern Art. Hamblett’s paintings have two main hallmarks that set them apart – pattern and color. Almost obsessively flat areas of color off-set by the equally flat subjects are in dramatic contrast to her distinctive and highly patterned trees. The effect of the foliage evokes movement, as each leaf is individually painted resulting in layers of color. Hamblett was a lifelong resident of Lafayette County in Mississippi, and upon her death in 1977, she willed most of her collection of paintings to the University of Mississippi, making them rare to the market today.

Ref.: Hamblett, Theora. Theora Hamblett Paintings. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1975; Theora Hamblett.” Greg Thompson Fine Art. www. gregthompsonfineart.com. Accessed Mar. 6, 2023.

[$5000/8000]

Note: Born near the end of 1886 on the notorious Hidden Hill Plantation in Marco, Louisiana, Clementine Hunter moved to nearby Melrose Plantation in 1902 and worked in a variety of positions from cotton picker to housekeeper and cook. The plantation was owned by John and Cammie Henry and later, after the death of John, Mrs. Henry retained the property and continued to plant, sell crops and maintain the grounds.

Melrose thrived under her care, and Mrs. Henry became known for her dedication to the arts and for her collection of historic and culturally significant items. She often hosted social gatherings for artists and writers, and Hunter, at the time a cook at Melrose, came across leftover paints and found inspiration to create her first paintings in the late 1930s or early 1940s. During this same period, François Mignon arrived at Melrose Plantation for a six-week visit that turned into a three decade long stay. He became the plantation’s historian and befriended Hunter. With both Mignon and Henry encouraging Hunter to paint, she became committed to her art, creating not only beautiful smallscale paintings on canvas and board, but also large-scale murals which decorated the structures on the property.

Hunter’s compositions reflected daily life at Melrose, and in her thick brushstrokes and strong primary colors, she documented the lively scenes that surrounded her from the labor-intensive cotton harvesting and pecan picking to the leisurely pursuits of Saturday nights at the juke joint. Hunter’s unique style and vision captured an integral part of southern history, and she was well-recognized in her lifetime for her artistic achievements with many exhibitions. Like so many artists, she had an intense desire to create, and her subsequent oeuvre is one that continues to receive global recognition and accolades to this day.