Harold Newton: The Original Highwayman

In 1954 artist Harold Newton (1934–1994) began traveling throughout his native Florida to sell the vibrant, dramatic landscape paintings that characterize his oeuvre; a decade later, he had an inspired group of about two dozen followers, largely self-taught African-American artists, known collectively as the “Highwaymen” because they often sold their paintings at roadsides to passing motorists. Photographer and writer Monroe (The Highwaymen: Florida's African-American Landscape Painters) prefaces this collection of 165 paintings with an informative and enjoyable essay on Newton that includes a vividly detailed biography of the artist, largely based on reminiscences from Newton's fellow artists, friends and family. Monroe also examines Newton's technique and the significance of his legacy, which Monroe argues was defined by the artist's ability to portray Florida as a vigorous and fertile “Promised Land.” Also of interest are Monroe's comments on the capriciousness of the art market; while Newton's work was little known throughout his career, it has become highly collectible in the past decade. This is an excellent, beautifully illustrated introduction to a dynamic painter that sparks the viewer's interest in Newton and his fellow highwaymen, all of whom created against the backdrop of Jim Crow. (May 27)