By Kimberly Rodriguez, Eighth Grader
African american painter, Purvis Young, never took an art class in his life but turned out to be one of the most inspirational artists in Florida. Infact, you can find him in Florida’s Artist Hall of Fame. Coming from Liberty City, he’s found many people to inspire with his artwork. As a child, his uncle introduced him into drawing. Young never attended high school so he wasn’t experienced at all. His time in prison is what sparked the creative man he was. According to “Purvis Young, Folk Artist Who Peppered Miami With Images, Dies at 67, “ an article on the New York Times, Young was sentenced to three years in jail, During this time, he would get bored and started drawing with the materials he had. Young studied art books and became committed to teaching him; However, Young lost interest for it quickly. He made a piece based on his time in jail, it’s called “Jail Was Heat”. This piece was different from all the others because he used weathered scrap wood and plywood. His first mural was made in Overtown. At first, he rarely got recognition for it along with his other pieces but overtime it became one of the most important murals of that town- depicting wild horses, angels and city buildings. His artwork can also be found in the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C., the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, and the American Folk Art Museum in New York City. Notable artwork collectors and the Rubell family, bought over 3,000 pieces of artwork. Some of his pieces are sold for more than $9,000. As he made more artwork, he started to find meaning in it. “What I say is the world is getting worse, guys pushing buggies, street people not having no jobs here in Miami, drugs kill the young, and church people riding around in luxury cars,” he said in an interview with the Souls Grown Deep Foundation. References:
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