Funeral 1950

Clementine Hunter made this painting, 'Funeral', with oils on board. It’s like a memory gently brushed onto the surface. I can almost feel her there in the pink, laying down those colours. I love the way Hunter reduces form to its essence. The funeral procession snakes around the church like a visual poem, those bright flowers offering such a beautiful contrast against the somber occasion. It's interesting how the surface is built up with such freedom, almost like she’s rushing to capture the scene, but each stroke feels perfectly placed. It's easy to compare her work to that of other self-taught painters, but Hunter has her own thing going on. In my work, I think a lot about how the first mark determines the next, and the next. In 'Funeral' I see a similar process in which each shape suggests the following until the story emerges as if from a dream. That's how the best painting works.