Eldzier Cortor facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Eldzier Cortor
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Eldzier Cortor, 1959
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| Born | January 10, 1916 Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
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| Died | November 26, 2015 (aged 99) Long Island, New York, U.S.
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| Nationality | American |
| Education | Art Institute of Chicago |
| Known for | Paintings of African-American women |
Eldzier Cortor (January 10, 1916 – November 26, 2015) was an African-American artist. He was also a printmaker. His art was inspired by both traditional African art and European surrealism. Cortor was known for his realistic style. He made everyday scenes of poor, Black living conditions look amazing. He did this by changing how things looked.
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Early Life and Learning
Cortor was born in Richmond, Virginia. His family moved to Chicago when he was about one year old. They settled in the city's South Side. Cortor went to Englewood High School there. His family was part of the Great Migration. This was when many African Americans moved from the South to the industrial North.
At Englewood, he studied with other artists. These included Charles Wilbert White and Margaret Burroughs. Cortor then went to the Art Institute of Chicago. He graduated in 1936. While there, he studied many art collections. He learned to love Western painting traditions.
A big change happened when he saw African sculptures. This was at an exhibit at the Field Museum. He said this was the most important influence on his art. He learned to appreciate the "cylindrical and lyrical quality" of African art. You can still see this in how he drew people.
Growing up, he loved reading Chicago Defender. This newspaper celebrated the successes of African Americans. Cortor also had his art shown in white newspapers. The Chicago Tribune featured him in 1939. This was because of his work with the South Side Community Art Center.
His main goal in art was to show African Americans in a good way. He wanted to highlight their beauty and achievements. For most of his career, Cortor focused on black female figures. He showed their strength and beauty. He believed Black women carried Black culture. His style often mixed black features with surrealism.
His Art Career
In 1940, Cortor worked for the Works Progress Administration (WPA). He drew scenes from the Depression-era Bronzeville. This was a neighborhood on Chicago's South Side. Cortor often painted private scenes inside homes. These surreal works showed how people fit into society. They also showed their connection to the outside world.
In 1949, he traveled to Jamaica, Cuba, and Haiti. He did this with a Guggenheim Fellowship. He also taught art in Port-au-Prince from 1949 to 1951.
In 1944 and 1945, Cortor won Julius Rosenwald Foundation Fellowships. These allowed him to visit the Sea Islands. These islands are off the coast of Georgia and South Carolina. The Gullah people lived there. Cortor was very interested in this area. Their culture had not been much changed by white or American culture.
Cortor wanted to explore a different African culture. This culture still had many African elements. He lived on the islands for two years. He learned a lot about Gullah culture. He said he wanted to paint "Negro racial types." He also wanted to show their unique physical features. He wanted to paint a series of pictures. These would show the special traits of the Gullahs.
Cortor added hints of African traditions to his art. He painted people with long necks, arms, legs, and faces. This was a tribute to traditional African sculptures. These often had long features. Cortor became very passionate about the beauty of African women. He showed this in many of his paintings. He wanted to highlight their beauty. He went against the beauty standards of his time. These standards were often white and Eurocentric. Cortor rebelled by painting Black women in a surreal style. This showed that deep skin tones are just as beautiful as white skin tones. He believed Black women represented the entire Black race. He once said, "The Black woman represents the Black race. She is the Black spirit. She conveys a feeling of eternity and a continuance of life."
Cortor's art style changed a lot during his life. He moved from surrealism to printmaking and other types of art. This was because he traveled to many places. He had many different experiences. He also always wanted to learn new techniques. He told Bomb Magazine that he enjoyed changing his art style. He was proud of how his art had grown over his long career. When an artist creates art from childhood through their whole life, their style is likely to change.
His Artworks
Cortor was one of the first African-American artists. He made African-American women his main subject. Artist Mel Edwards said Cortor was influenced by surrealism. He often used the female figure in surreal indoor and outdoor settings.
One example is Cortor’s famous painting, Southern Gate. The main person in this painting is a young Black woman. The background is very dark. The gate is broken, and the clouds show a storm. But right behind the woman, there are fewer clouds and more light. This makes her stand out. The woman has a flower in her hair. A bird sits on her shoulder. This might mean a new day is starting. The woman stands tall. This shows a sense of triumph. It also shows the strength of Black women. They can stand strong even when things are falling apart.
In his 1948 work The Room No. VI, Cortor showed living conditions in poor Black areas of Chicago. The people in the painting have long, exaggerated bodies. These look like African sculptures. Their bodies are very thin with visible ribs. This shows poverty. But it also adds to the graceful lines of the painting. This artwork shows poverty without asking for pity. It gives the people dignity and grace.
Starting in the 1950s, Cortor was even more inspired by African sculptures. In these works, you can see he used more cylindrical, graceful, and long limbs. This is clear in his painting Dance Composition No. 31. He made this in 1978 as part of a series. This work shows how important Black culture was to Cortor. Black women are shown as carrying these traditions. Their physical beauty is part of their cultural beauty.
Another example of Cortor’s changing style is Classical Study No. 34. He created this painting in 1968. It was also part of a different series. In this painting, a woman rests her head on her hand. She is shown from the side. Cortor made her features quite long. This gives her a sculptural feel. She wears a red, yellow, and green scarf. These colors are from the Pan-African flag. This honors her African roots. The figure also looks like old marble sculptures. These were used to celebrate people. This painting celebrates the beauty and strength of Black women. It also highlights their African roots.
Eldzier Cortor was also well known for his prints. In the 1950s, he made several woodblock prints. He worked with Japanese printmaker Jun’ichiro Sekino. Woodblock printing is a type of printing. The parts of the wood that you don't want to print are cut away.
Exhibitions and Collections
Cortor showed his art in many places. In 1938, he was in a show called "An Exhibition in Defense of Peace and Democracy." The Chicago Artists' Group sponsored it. In 1940, he was part of "The Exhibition of the Art of the American Negro" in Chicago. He also showed work in 1967 at the City College of New York. This show was called "The Evolution of Afro-American Artists: 1800 - 1950."
In 1976, his painting Interior was in a big show. This was at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The show was called "Two Centuries of Black American Art." It traveled around the U.S. in 1977. In 1988, he was in a group show called "Three Masters." This was at New York's Kenkeleba Gallery. It featured Cortor's work with Hughie Lee-Smith and Archibald Motley.
A solo show called "Eldzier Cortor: Master Printmaker" was held in 2002. This was at the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute. In 2010, his works were in a show at the Library of Congress. Some of his works on paper were shown at the Indiana University Art Museum. In 2013, Cortor's prints were shown at the San Antonio Museum of Art.
His art is kept in many important collections. These include Howard University, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and The Art Institute of Chicago.
Awards and Fellowships
- Recipient Bertha A. Florsheim award Art Institute Chicago, 1945.
- Recipient William H. Bartels award, 1946.
- Carnegie Institute award, 1947.
- Julius Rosenwald fellow, Chicago, 1945–47.
- John Simon Guggenheim fellow, New York City, 1949-50.
Death
Eldzier Cortor passed away on November 26, 2015. He was 99 years old. He died just a few months before his 100th birthday.
