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Catalog Data

Interviewee:
Colescott, Robert, 1925-2009  Search this
Interviewer:
Karlstrom, Paul J.  Search this
Names:
San Francisco State University -- Students  Search this
University of California, Berkeley -- Students  Search this
University of California, San Francisco. School of Fine Arts  Search this
Cézanne, Paul, 1839-1906  Search this
Loran, Erle, 1905-1999  Search this
Ryder, Worth Allen, 1884-1960  Search this
Saar, Betye  Search this
Extent:
23 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1999 April 14
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Robert Colescott conducted 1999 April 14, by Paul Karlstrom, for the Archives of American Art, at his studio, in Tucson, Arizona.
Colescott discusses his early years growing up in Oakland; his education; military service; his experiences as a student at San Francisco State University and University of California, Berkeley; the influences at University of California, Berkeley, and of Paul Cézanne on the teaching by professors Erle Loran and Worth Ryder; working at the California School of Fine Arts; issues of race in art; views on the African-American community's desire to control visual statements by black artists, and why his work is viewed as stereotyping; political views; the work of artist Betye Saar; and his work, "George Washington Carver Crossing the Delaware."
Biographical / Historical:
Robert Colescott (1925-2009) was a painter from San Francisco, California and Tuscon, Arizona. Colescott was raised in Oakland, California. He attended San Francisco State University and University of California at Berkeley (B.A. 1949; M.A., 1952). After receiving his bachelor's degree, he studied in Paris with abstract painter Fernand Léger. From 1976-1985 he taught at the California School of Fine Arts, and was named Professor Emeritus at the University of Arizona, Tucson in 1985.
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound cassette. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 1 hr.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators. Funding for the transcription of this interview is provided by Richard Baker Fund.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
Occupation:
Painters -- Arizona -- Tucson  Search this
Painters -- California -- San Francisco  Search this
Topic:
African American artists  Search this
African American military personnel  Search this
African American painters  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.colesc99
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw934fa61ee-ec44-4adc-8e66-d4a4bc32a4dc
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-colesc99