Artwork of Allen Stringfellow
"I work by music - religious music when I'm doing religious things and jazz when I'm doing jazz pieces.They arouse in me the same inner feelings. They're both inspiring."
Allen Stringfellow is a water color and collage artist who uses a variety of textures in his artwork. Pure gold leaf is one of the fabrics that he often uses that compliments the common red theme. Remembered as the man who wore red, Stringfellow explains it himself at 72 years of age: “All I ever wear is red, from jeans to mink, so I guess that color is a powerful color for me." His wide array of bright colors and textures fully illustrate the beauties of daily life. As a peaceful man who chose never to be angry or pervade negative emotions in his paintings, Stringfellow captures the comforting moments in black culture. He finds the nostalgic moments at picnics, worshiping in church, relaxing in Chicago nightspots, or finding ordinary scenes from busy streets and storefronts (James), all of which reflect his daily life from past to present. Even in the midst of life's hardship, Stringfellow can teach us how to appreciate every day and every moment given to us.
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Throughout the years, black art has served as a mouthpiece for African Americans by offering another perspective for the audiences abroad, yet still upholding the power of influence. Not only does Stringfellow manage to represent life’s moments ranging from the most vivacious to most tranquil, but his representation of black culture in the United States promotes a quality image and upholds the ability to eliminate negative stereotypes. His curator, Nicole Smith who passed in march 2016, showcased his artwork to both black and white audiences, but primarily white. Throughout much of his artwork, Stringfellow's family, religion, and Chicago jazz life helps revitalize some of the values that blacks have carried throughout the 20th century even in the midst of social injustice and poverty. Stringfellow always managed to grasp hold of the way people moved and their posture that revealed a different characteristic of each individual, since his work represented real people.
Jazz, Art, and Windy City Life
Along with growing up in the church, nightlife and city life were embedded into Stringfellow’s life, especially because his father owned Club De Lisa nightclub in Chicago in the 1960’s. His paintings and collages lend evidence that he paid close attention to detail. Whether it be the texture of an individual’s shirt, or their body language. "Translucent shapes suggest sunlight, opaque flourishes for clouds and multicolored facets become skirts, parts of blouses and jackets recall African patterns and modern urban culture," (Essie Green Galleries). Yet, he was also selective about which items in a piece were decorated with more detail. It may even be as puzzling as to why he would construct more details on inanimate objects than he would on creating faces of the people involved with his daily life.
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Stringfellow often painted people in motion. Some would be dancing, while some would be blowing into a brass instrument or strumming a guitar. Even in the pieces where people are simply on a street corner, such as “On This Street I,” the action never came to a halt. The beauty that Stringfellow depicted among blacks revealed their tenacity with life, always finding a moment to smile and always finding bright light in an an array of different perspectives from the captured moments in each painting or collage.
Spirituality and the Church
Stringfellow's upbringing in the Christian church with his great-grandmother Hazel Briggs influenced his spiritual life. He grew up witnessing water baptisms with the church in his hometown, Champagne. The energetic, joyful spirit is depicted in paintings and collages filled with dancers,choirs, pianists, and family. Stringfellow created black women with elaborate dresses and church hats. Praise dancers and church members sitting or standing in the pews freely lift their hands and heads up in adoration. Everyone in the painting is on one accord. Bright colors from the women's church attire illuminate the scene with a joyful presence. The significance of the women dressed in their best Sunday dress speaks on behalf of, as Stringfellow calls it, "growing up on the wrong side of the 'tracks,". Although his family as well as other black families did not own a lot, they made it a strong point to look your very best on Sunday morning. This mindset reveals not only the pride and dignity that black families held onto during their struggle, but also the role that faith played in their lives exhibited through the church.
Stringfellow talks about his influence of the church and his all-around daily interactions of his life that inspire his work. "My themes are taken from my recollections. My signature piece, `Red Umbrella Down by the Riverside,' was part of our daily life when I was growing up, We would go down to Crystal Lake, and that's where we would have this open baptism, right down on the banks of the lake. What made that so nice was right after the baptism, we would have the big picnic. and so, while you wouldn't miss it ever, that gave you a twofold reason not to miss it. And that's the big picnic that turns up a lot in my work."