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USA
South
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Atlanta, GA
William Ned Cartledge
1916-2002
Carvings and paintings
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Information:
Ned Cartledge was born in Canon, Georgia in 1916. He graduated from Boys' High School in Atlanta in 1935. He carved wood and found inspiration for his satirical painted bas-reliefs in contemporary politics.
"I whittled as a child, using my mother's paring knife. I didn't own a pocketknife until I was twelve years old. When we moved to Atlanta in 1930, my carving practically stopped due to lack of motivation," Cartledge says. "But when I married," he jokingly comments, "my chain was pretty tight. So I stayed home and took it up again. At the Cotton States Arbitration Board, I had days with nothing to do, so I carved." A gift of X-Acto knives also helped to rekindle his love of carving. Later on, he says, "I was one of the 'old' people who opposed the Vietnam war and felt that I ought to speak out. "Ned Cartledge's "Speaking out" took the form of political commentary through sculpture.
In 1978, Atlanta folk art dealer Judith Alexander discovered Cartledge's work, and she helped him gain a broader audience. In 1969, he was awarded second prize and in 1970 best of show at the Savannah Arts Festival; in 1971 he received a purchase award from the Arts festival in Atlanta, Georgia.
Cartledge carves bas-reliefs illustrating his strong political, religious and social opinions with a sense of humor. His primary subject matter is contemporary politics. He found "trickle-down economics" a revolting theory ("it's the poor who need help") and commented on this subject through several of his works. Not all of the artist's work is political or in the bas-relief format. He carves birds, cats, and fish, and one of the first works Cartledge ever sold was a three dimensional watermelon slice, He also made carved boxes before he moved on to the bas-reliefs,
Western pine, poplar and basswood are Cartledge's favorite woods, but the type of wood he uses depends mostly on its availability. He now uses woodworking hand tools such as gouges and chisels, to make his pieces and paints the finished carvings with oil or sometimes acrylic paints.
Excerpted from Orange Hill Gallery
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Bibliography:
His work is in the collection of the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, the Museum of American Folk Art in New York City and the Museum of International Folk Art in Sante Fe.
"Museum of American Folk Art Encyclopedia of Twentieth Century American Folk Art and Artists" by Chuck and Jan Rosenak, Abbeville Press, New York, 1990.
"Contemporary American Folk Art - A Collector's Guide" Chuck and Jan Rosenak, Abbeville Press, 1996.
Slotin Folk Art Auction Catalog, Masterpiece Sale, November 4, 2006
"20th Century American Folk, Self Taught, and Outsider Art" by Betty-Carol Sellen, Cynthia J. Johnson, Neal-Schuman Publishers, New York, 1993.
"Self Taught, Outsider, and Folk Art—A guide to American Artists, Locations and Resources" by Betty-Carol Sellen with Cynthia J. Johnson, 2000.
"Let it Shine: Self-Taught Art from the T. Marshall Hahn Collection" by Lynne E. Spriggs, Joanne Cubbs, Lynda Roscoe Hartigan, Susan Mitchell Crawley, Michael E. Shapiro and Peter Harholdt, organized by the High Museum of Art, 2001.
"American Self-Taught Art: An Illustrated Analysis of 20th Century Artists and Trends with 1,319 Capsule Biographies" by Florence Laffal and Julius Laffal, 2003. |
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