Carroll Cloar (American/Arkansas, 1913-1993)

Carroll Cloar (American/Arkansas, 1913-1993) , "Luella and the Baby", pencil on paper, signed lower right, titled lower left, 31 3/4 in. x 23 in., framed. Note: Best known for his haunting drawings, paintings and prints of the American South, Carroll Cloar was born in Earle, Arkansas and studied at the Memphis Academy of Art before moving to New York. While at first planning to become a comic strip illustrator, Cloar quickly became more interested in painting and lithography after studying under Harry Sternberg and Ernest Fiene at the Art Students League. His style combined realism and naïveté with people and places from his childhood memories in the Delta, perfectly illustrated by the drawing offered here. Based on observations, dreams, American folklore and old family albums, Cloar’s works balance a tone between the regionalism of Grant Wood and the whimsy of Henri Rousseau, and he evolved during his career to become one of Arkansas’ most renowned artists.