The Life and Art of Bill Traylor

A former slave-turned-art luminary.

Drawing His Inspiration - Bill Traylor (c. 1854–1949) is considered by many as one of the most iconic 20th century American artists in history. Capturing vibrant scenes of African-American life, his drawings are widely upheld as one of the most important bodies of work by a self-taught artist. From June 11 through Sept. 22, more than 60 of his drawings will be on display at the American Folk Art Museum in New York City. Keep reading for a closer look into Traylor's life and inspiration. — Britt Middleton   Above, Untitled (Man in Blue Pants) c. 1939-194. (Photo: Courtesy of American Folk Art)

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Drawing His Inspiration - Bill Traylor (c. 1854–1949) is considered by many as one of the most iconic 20th century American artists in history. Capturing vibrant scenes of African-American life, his drawings are widely upheld as one of the most important bodies of work by a self-taught artist. From June 11 through Sept. 22, more than 60 of his drawings will be on display at the American Folk Art Museum in New York City. Keep reading for a closer look into Traylor's life and inspiration. — Britt Middleton Above, Untitled (Man in Blue Pants) c. 1939-194. (Photo: Courtesy of American Folk Art)

Untitled (Abstract Form, Legs) c. 1939–1942 - Traylor was born a slave on a plantation in Dallas County, Alabama, circa 1854. Following emancipation, he continued to work on the plantation until 1928, the year he moved permanently to Montgomery. He lived in the Black enclave of Monroe Avenue (now called Monroe Street) in Montgomery. (Photo: Courtesy of American Folk Art Museum)

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Untitled (Abstract Form, Legs) c. 1939–1942 - Traylor was born a slave on a plantation in Dallas County, Alabama, circa 1854. Following emancipation, he continued to work on the plantation until 1928, the year he moved permanently to Montgomery. He lived in the Black enclave of Monroe Avenue (now called Monroe Street) in Montgomery. (Photo: Courtesy of American Folk Art Museum)

Untitled (Truncated Blue Man With Pipe) c. 1939–1942 - In Montgomery, Traylor largely survived on the streets, spending his days sitting on the sidewalks and creating his drawings (it is believed that he created 1,200 over a four-year period). Using stained cardboard and other modest materials found on the street, Traylor retold the stories of his past and captured observations of life around the Monroe Avenue area. (Photo: Courtesy of American Folk Art Museum)

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Untitled (Truncated Blue Man With Pipe) c. 1939–1942 - In Montgomery, Traylor largely survived on the streets, spending his days sitting on the sidewalks and creating his drawings (it is believed that he created 1,200 over a four-year period). Using stained cardboard and other modest materials found on the street, Traylor retold the stories of his past and captured observations of life around the Monroe Avenue area. (Photo: Courtesy of American Folk Art Museum)

Untitled (Man With Cane on Construction, With Dog) c. 1939–1942 - Traylor's works are known for their flat, simply defined shapes and pops of color. He did not title his drawings.  (Photo: Courtesy of American Folk Art Museum)

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Untitled (Man With Cane on Construction, With Dog) c. 1939–1942 - Traylor's works are known for their flat, simply defined shapes and pops of color. He did not title his drawings. (Photo: Courtesy of American Folk Art Museum)

Untitled (Bent Man Smoking) c. 1939–1942 - To make ends meet, Traylor sold his work to passersby on the street. He also sold or gave away most of the art to Charles Shannon (1914–1996), an artist who befriended him and furnished him art supplies. (Photo: Courtesy of American Folk Art Museum)

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Untitled (Bent Man Smoking) c. 1939–1942 - To make ends meet, Traylor sold his work to passersby on the street. He also sold or gave away most of the art to Charles Shannon (1914–1996), an artist who befriended him and furnished him art supplies. (Photo: Courtesy of American Folk Art Museum)

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Untitled (Dog and Cat Fight) c. 1940–1942 - Rather than the clean poster board Shannon provided, Traylor preferred to work with irregular shapes of cardboard he found on the street, playing up the smudges, stains and marks that were deposited on them.   (Photo: Courtesy of American Folk Art Museum) 

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Untitled (Dog and Cat Fight) c. 1940–1942 - Rather than the clean poster board Shannon provided, Traylor preferred to work with irregular shapes of cardboard he found on the street, playing up the smudges, stains and marks that were deposited on them. (Photo: Courtesy of American Folk Art Museum) 

Untitled (Figure: Construction, Black, Brown, Red) c. 1940–1942 - “He never agonized over his work. He was very serene. He rarely erased. He just started out and worked to a conclusion. He didn’t fuss with things. He made up doing the rectangles himself and used colors straight out of the jar. Nobody could have told him how to do what he did,” Shannon once said of Traylor. (Photo: Courtesy of American Folk Art Museum)

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Untitled (Figure: Construction, Black, Brown, Red) c. 1940–1942 - “He never agonized over his work. He was very serene. He rarely erased. He just started out and worked to a conclusion. He didn’t fuss with things. He made up doing the rectangles himself and used colors straight out of the jar. Nobody could have told him how to do what he did,” Shannon once said of Traylor. (Photo: Courtesy of American Folk Art Museum)

Untitled (Man and Large Dog) c. 1939–1942 - Shannon preserved Traylor's work for 40 years and worked to capture the attention of the art world and larger public audiences. One of his biggest accomplishments was showcasing Traylor's drawings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 1995. (Photo: Courtesy of American Folk Art Museum)

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Untitled (Man and Large Dog) c. 1939–1942 - Shannon preserved Traylor's work for 40 years and worked to capture the attention of the art world and larger public audiences. One of his biggest accomplishments was showcasing Traylor's drawings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 1995. (Photo: Courtesy of American Folk Art Museum)

Untitled (Turkey With Bug) c. 1939–1942  - Animals are consistent themes in Traylor's work. They are said to have been homages to farm animals he remembered from the plantation, where he worked for much of his life. He was known for conveying a sense of individuality in each one. (Photo: Courtesy of American Folk Art Museum)

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Untitled (Turkey With Bug) c. 1939–1942 - Animals are consistent themes in Traylor's work. They are said to have been homages to farm animals he remembered from the plantation, where he worked for much of his life. He was known for conveying a sense of individuality in each one. (Photo: Courtesy of American Folk Art Museum)

Untitled (Blue Man on Red Object) c. 1939–1942 - Charles Shannon once asked what was going on in a particular drawing, and Bill Traylor simply replied, “That’s an exciting event" (today, his animated, multi-figure compositions are nicknamed "exciting events" by admirers).  (Photo: Courtesy of American Folk Art Museum)

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Untitled (Blue Man on Red Object) c. 1939–1942 - Charles Shannon once asked what was going on in a particular drawing, and Bill Traylor simply replied, “That’s an exciting event" (today, his animated, multi-figure compositions are nicknamed "exciting events" by admirers). (Photo: Courtesy of American Folk Art Museum)

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Untitled (Human Plant Form on Construction With Dog and Man) c. 1939–1942  - Traylor's compositions often include organic or architectural elements, or a mix of both. (Photo: Courtesy of American Folk Art Museum)

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Untitled (Human Plant Form on Construction With Dog and Man) c. 1939–1942 - Traylor's compositions often include organic or architectural elements, or a mix of both. (Photo: Courtesy of American Folk Art Museum)

Untitled (Man, Woman) c. 1940–1942 - Between 1910 and 1940, the Monroe Avenue district flourished with Black-owned and operated newspapers, restaurants, banks and nightclubs, among other businesses. Traylor's work often focused on human figures, likely the men and women he observed in the bustling community. (Photo: Courtesy of American Folk Art Museum) 

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Untitled (Man, Woman) c. 1940–1942 - Between 1910 and 1940, the Monroe Avenue district flourished with Black-owned and operated newspapers, restaurants, banks and nightclubs, among other businesses. Traylor's work often focused on human figures, likely the men and women he observed in the bustling community. (Photo: Courtesy of American Folk Art Museum) 

Untitled (Woman) c. 1939 - Traylor often drew while sitting on a box near a blacksmith's shop and later outside an establishment known as the Pekin Colored Pool Hall, capturing the vibrant scenes within the Black, middle-class community. (Photo: Courtesy of American Folk Art Museum)

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Untitled (Woman) c. 1939 - Traylor often drew while sitting on a box near a blacksmith's shop and later outside an establishment known as the Pekin Colored Pool Hall, capturing the vibrant scenes within the Black, middle-class community. (Photo: Courtesy of American Folk Art Museum)

Untitled (Scary Creature) c. 1939–1940 - Historians believe many of Traylor's more abstract compositions are rooted in things from the plantation and the urban landscape around him. The mysterious quality also leaves interpretation up to the viewer. (Photo: Courtesy of American Folk Art Museum)

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Untitled (Scary Creature) c. 1939–1940 - Historians believe many of Traylor's more abstract compositions are rooted in things from the plantation and the urban landscape around him. The mysterious quality also leaves interpretation up to the viewer. (Photo: Courtesy of American Folk Art Museum)

Photo By Photo: Courtesy of American Folk Art Museum