The Outsider Art of Thornton Dial ( Part 3 ) - His Outsider Folk Art.

In his > outsider folk art, > Thornton Dial  works with ever recurring symbols of which the tiger and the bird are portrayed most frequently. 
The tiger is either a metaphor for himself or symbolizes the black race. "The tiger is most of the struggle for life or for anyting, for black people and anybody else", thus Dial. The tiger is represented in series of works that have a specific theme within a particular subject.

Tiger and Bird

There is a series of works by Thornton Dial in which the tiger leaves the jungle (Africa) and then undergoes the different stages of slavery. Another series shows the struggle of the black people within the white man's system. There also works in which the tiger triumphs, Dial's own recognition and success as an artist, and other works in which the tiger symbolizes the universal man. The bird symbolizes liberty and the breeding bird stands for fertility. In the iconography of many Afro-American artists (included in the Outsider Folk Art ), the bird is also a symbol of freedom and liberty.

> Sr (b.1928) Title: Woman with Tiger Cat, '90

The Five Subjects in Dial's Outsider Folk Art

Dial's work shows about five subjects that at the same time propagate his philosophy, namely: The relation between man and animal; the life in the U.S.; the political, social, economical system...etc. (often depicted in a red, white and blue color scheme, the colors of the American flag); animals as symbols for the human existence as described in folk tales and moralizing stories; and finally the tiger series, often in large assemblies with an average size of 4.27ft x 8.53ft. Dial made dozens of works in this series. The titles of all these works tell something about the content, Dial himself suffice with some general remarks on his art that doesn't yield up any additional information. His acquired reservations concerning the white man could very well be the cause of his reluctance. Paul Arnett (William Arnett's son) says about this: "The mind of the unseeing observer is his safest hiding place".

The Expression in Dial's Outsider Folk Art

In his work Dial is able to express his complex thoughts, of which he is not able to verbalize. It is these thoughts, [...]"I've got ten-thousand ideas left to create" (Dial), that gives him the unbridled drive to work. He imposes no limits upon himself, neither in his use of materials, nor the choice of his subjects. Dial's work fascinates because of its unpredictable character and the way he keeps surprising with his visual language and choice of materials, [...]"Making strange things from ordinary things to force relloking and rethinking" (Dial).

The Inspiration for his Outsider Folk Art

Man in all his capacities is central in Dial's work. Frequently his own philosophical thoughts are expressed in the images, sometimes he also gets inspired for a work by an event in his immediate surroundings. Dial works with a wide range of materials like rope, pieces of floor-covering, found objects, as well oil paint as industrail paint, acrylic paint and industrial sealing compound, some kind of putty. The African element is merely unconsciously present, although the narrative character of his work in which man and especially the animal is central, indeed revert to the oral African tradition of myths and legends. Also, one could say that the spontaneous improvising with color, like the sounds in jazz, is an African element.

Watercolor Paintings

In 1990 Dial started with the production of watercolor paintings. Also here he proofs that his creativity and inventiveness is boundless. By using mixed techniques, unusual colors and daring compositions and through his personal visual language, like in his painted work, he is able to convey a profound fascination on the beholder. Therefore they are an enrichment to his works.

Dial's Outsider Folk Art

Dial's themes are contemporary and don't follow a specific folk tradition, but he stays outside the mainstream of contemporary art. He goes his own way regardless of any trends or anyone. He is very ingenious, tries everything and always sees a variety of possibilities in front of him. If the ideas for one medium have been finished, he goes to the next. What he does with materials like carpet, rope, tin, is pictorially each time a surprise. What he does with his hands and his pencil is mesmerizing in its expressive power.

More info on > Outsider Folk Art

Here you can find part 1 of this three part article sequence: > Thornton Dial - The Beginning.

Here you can find part 2 of this three part article sequence: > William Arnett and Dial's Work Environment.

Here you can find part 3 of this three part article sequence: > The Outsider Art of Thornton Dial ( Part 3 ) - His Outsider Folk Art.