As author Shelby Gilley points out in his detailed study, Hunter shows no rancor toward the labor-intensive activities of her early life, when she picked as many as 200 pounds of cotton is a single day or cared for her family of five children and her terminally ill husband, Emmanuel.  Instead, her paintings portray community involvement and the shared purpose of daily life in the rural South.

The artist's' strong sense of self as well as her positive attitude seemed to support her successful survival for 101  years and her eventual recognition as an artist.  In 1986, she was awarded an honorary doctorate of fine arts from Northwestern State University of Louisiana in Natchitoches.  She was invited to the White House by President Jimmy Carter but declined the invitation.  She enjoyed the large birthday parties given in her honor by a loyal following.  Throughout, she remained unaffected and retained her innate sense of humor and practical wisdom.

For Clementine Hunter, making art was a release from arduous physical labor.  She first expressed herself creatively by making pierced and appliquéd quilts.  Unlike sewing, which seemed to come naturally, painting was a serious activity.  Gilley quotes Hunter:  "Painting' is a lot harder than pickin' cotton.  Cotton's right there for you to pull of the stalk, but to paint, you got to sweat yo' mind."

Painting also produced the extra income Hunter needed.  She developed a recognizable vocabulary of form.  While frequently repeating subjects, her style evolved.  In her early works, Hunter often thinned the paint and painted on paper or window shades.  These early pieces were either left unsigned or signed decades later with the name "Clemence."  As the years progressed, her paintings showed "an increased use of color and better representation of perspective," according to Gilley.  In 1962 and 1963, James Register commissioned Hunter to make what he called "abstracts."  She continued to experiment with abstract forms.  In her final years, her hand was less steady and her lines less crisp.

Not since the 1988 publication of James L. Wilson's book, Clementine Hunter: American Folk Artist, has there been such an extensive study of the Louisiana artist.  Gilley's book includes new and expanded information about Hunter in the context of the community in which she lived, the early history of Melrose Plantation (where Hunter spent most of her life), the development of Melrose as a center of the arts and an exploration of the two influential patrons in the artist's life--Francois Mignon and James Register.  Both men encouraged Hunter's artistic activities by providing her with art materials and friendship.

Among the artist's outstanding achievements were her murals for African House, a historical building in African style, part of Melrose Plantation,.  Mignon's illustrated description of the murals whets the reader's appetite to visit Melrose to view these works.  Gilley's discussion of fakes of the artist's works is especially valuable.  The reproductions of paintings and period photographs, many not previously published, are excellent.  A useful exhibition history and painting location index also are included.

This book emphasizes Hunter's humanity, her wit and her courage.  Filled with oral history and historical background, the text is replete with quotations from the artist and recollections from her friends, notably Dr. Robert Ryan and Tom Whitehead.  There are many personal anecdotes from the author, who first met Clementine Hunter in 1970.  Gilley became Hunter's close friend and art dealer from 1978 until her death on January 1, 1988.  The book is a must for all those interested in American folk art and the social history of the Deep South.  It provides an intimate glimpse into the life of the remarkable Clementine Hunter.

[Reviewed by Lee Kogan]

Lee Kogan is director of the Museum of American Folk Art's Folk Art Institute in New York City.

www.folkart.org