"Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas" Introduction

Summary

Alma Thomas, a distinguished artist with a rich life story, is celebrated for her vibrant and luminous paintings, which she began creating in earnest during her sixties. Her work, characterized by intricate color layering and rhythmic brushstrokes, not only appeals to the visual sense but also evokes auditory and tactile sensations. Thomas believed in the healing power of beauty, and her paintings invite viewers to experience the world through her eyes, offering a deeply emotional and spiritual connection.

Takeaways

• 🎨 Alma Thomas is a significant artist whose work was first added to the collection in 1970 and was further donated posthumously.
• 🏛 Thomas had a strong connection with Washington, DC, where she lived most of her life and was an influential figure in the local art community.
• 🎓 She was the first to graduate from Howard University with a degree in fine art and had a long career as an educator in DC public schools.
• 👩‍🏫 Thomas was instrumental in teaching generations of Black children about art and African American art history.
• 🌟 Her painting career took off in the mid-1950s, in her sixties, following her retirement from teaching.
• 🌈 Visitors to her exhibition can expect to experience vibrant colors and luminous patterns from the last fifteen years of her life.
• 👀 The paintings may appear simple from afar, but closer inspection reveals intricate details and nuanced color layering.
• 🎼 Thomas's brushstrokes can be likened to musical notes, with color used in a rhythmic and composed manner.
• 🌳 Her work is multisensory, evoking sounds and feelings associated with nature and the changing seasons.
• 💖 She believed in the healing power of beauty, viewing it as essential to our spiritual and emotional well-being.
• 🌍 The exhibition aims to allow viewers to see the world through Thomas's perspective, offering a deeply immersive experience.

Q & A

When did Alma Thomas's work first enter the collection of the museum?

Alma Thomas's work first came into the museum's collection in 1970.

How many pieces of Alma Thomas's work were acquired by the museum during her lifetime?

About a dozen pieces of Alma Thomas's work were either bought or given to the museum during her lifetime.

What did Alma Thomas arrange for after her death regarding her works on canvas?

Alma Thomas made arrangements for the mass of her works on canvas to come to the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) after her death.

Where was Alma Thomas born and when did she move to Washington, D.C.?

Alma Thomas was born in Georgia, and she and her family moved to Washington, D.C. when she was a young teenager.

How close did Alma Thomas live to the museum for most of her life?

For most of her life, Alma Thomas lived about a mile from the museum.

What educational milestone did Alma Thomas achieve at Howard University?

Alma Thomas was the first graduate from Howard University with a degree in fine art.

How long did Alma Thomas teach in Washington, D.C. public schools?

Alma Thomas taught in Washington, D.C. public schools for more than thirty years.

When did Alma Thomas begin to come into her own as a painter?

Alma Thomas began to come into her own as a painter in the mid-1950s, when she was already in her sixties.

What significant change in her life allowed Alma Thomas to dedicate more time to painting?

Alma Thomas was able to dedicate more time to painting after she retired from her career as a school teacher.

What can visitors expect to experience when viewing Alma Thomas's work in the show?

Visitors can expect to bask in the brilliant color and luminous patterns of the work that Alma Thomas created in the last fifteen years of her life.

How does the script suggest one should approach viewing Alma Thomas's paintings?

The script suggests that viewers should first look around each room, observe the paintings in relation to each other, pick one that speaks to them, and then look at it more closely to appreciate the nuances and micro decisions in the painting.

What technique did Alma Thomas use to build up layers of color in her paintings?

Alma Thomas built up layers of color by making a color more intense or tamping it down to create contrast, and using white to shape and carve the exact contours of a brushstroke.

How does the script describe the sensory experience of viewing Alma Thomas's paintings?

The script describes the paintings as multisensorial, heightening other senses such as hearing the rustling of leaves or feeling the warmth of the sun or the chill of a snowy day.

What belief did Alma Thomas hold about the power of beauty in relation to human well-being?

Alma Thomas believed in the recuperative power of beauty, viewing it as something essential to our spiritual and emotional well-being, not as a trivial thing.

What is the aim of the show featuring Alma Thomas's work?

The aim of the show is to have viewers see the world through Alma Thomas's eyes and to lose themselves in the paintings, connecting with the work on a deeper level.