Harvey Tristan Cropper Explained
| Harvey Tristan Cropper |
| Birth Date: | August 4, 1931 |
| Birth Place: | Sugar Hill, Harlem, New York City, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Nationality: | American |
| Occupation: | Artist |
| Known For: | Painting |
Harvey Tristan Cropper (August 4, 1931 – November 15, 2012) was an American painter, born in New York City, who in the 1980s moved to Stockholm, Sweden, where he died at the age of 81.[1]
Life
Cropper was born on August 4, 1931, in Sugar Hill, Harlem, New York City,[2] to West Indian parents who had migrated there from St. Vincent. His father was a pharmacist and his mother was an embroiderer in Harlem.[3] Cropper started creating art at the age of four, and was inspired by the many colors of his mother's silk threads. He studied at the Art Students League of New York, and spent time in private study in Japan.[4] In the early 1950s, while living at 4 Barrow Street in New York's Greenwich Village with the jazz musician Charlie Parker,[5] Cropper taught Parker how to paint in exchange for music lessons.[6] [7] [8]
In 1954, Cropper exhibited his work at the Galerie Moderne.[9] In 1964, his work was part of the 10 American Negro Artists Living and Working in Europe exhibition at Den Frie Udstilling in Copenhagen, Denmark.[10]
During the Vietnam War, Cropper began to focus on political paintings. His piece "Faces of Apartheid" was used by the United Nations.[11]
In the 1970s, Cropper's artistic style began to focus more on meditative creation and still life. In a conversation with Swedish artist and friend Bengt O. Björklund, he explained: "Light, texture and symbolism are important to me. I have become more meditative and once again approached the Japanese tradition and the values Zen stands for."
In 1981, Cropper moved to Stockholm, Sweden, where he spent the rest of his life working in an open studio with other artists. He died in Stockholm from cancer in 2012, aged 81.
Further reading
- Book: The Black Artist in America: An Index to Reproductions. 1991. Metuchen, N.J.. Scarecrow Press. 978-0-8108-2503-1. 810452159. Thomison. Dennis.
- The Art of Harvey Tristan Cropper. 2015. Styx förlag.,
- Harvey Tristan Cropper Some Comments on the 5 Senses. Nilsson & Bergholm. 1987.
Notes and References
- Web site: Från Harlem till Söder. Bengt O. . Björklund . December 28, 2012. sourze.se.
- Book: Thomison, Dennis . The Black artist in America: an index to reproductions. registration . 1 December 1991. Scarecrow Press. 978-0-8108-2503-1.
- Book: The Art of Harvey Tristan Cropper.. 2015. Styx förlag. 978-91-85747-35-1. 942288033.
- Book: Cederholm, Theresa Dickason. Afro-American Artists: A Bio-biographical Directory. Trustees of the Boston Public Library. 1973. 66. 978-0-89073-007-2.
- Book: Gitler, Ira . Ira Gitler. Swing to Bop: An Oral History of the Transition in Jazz in the 1940s. registration . 1985. Oxford University Press. 978-0-19-505070-7. 297–.
- Book: Spargo, Edward . Selections from the Black. 1974. Jamestown Publishers. 978-0-89061-001-5.
- Book: Priestley, Brian . Brian Priestley. Chasin' the Bird: The Life and Legacy of Charlie Parker. May 2007. Oxford University Press. 978-0-19-532709-0. 91–.
- Web site: Charlie "Bird" Parker, 1920-1955. October 31, 2016. NW Film Center. February 14, 2019. September 25, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210925184330/https://nwfilm.org/films/charlie-bird-parker-1920-1955/. dead.
- Exhibition at Galerie Moderne. Arts Digest. 28. September 1954. 25.
- Book: Polite, Allen. Exhibition [of] 10 American Negro Artists Living and Working in Europe: Paintings, Prints, Drawings, Collages: Den Frie, Oslo Plads, Copenhagen, June 11–30, 1964. 1964. 17333008.
- Book: Music and identity: transformation and negotiation. 2007. Sun Press . Akrofi, E. A. . Smit, Maria . Thorsén, Stig-Magnus . 978-1-919980-85-0. Stellenbosch. 232335549.
