Timeless Expressions: The Rediscovered Art of James Green, Jr.

by Annie Green-Purvis, Cecil Williams (Editor)

Timeless Expressions features the art of James Green, Jr. Secluded for more than four decades in the upstairs attic of the family s homestead in Orangeburg, S.C., more than 400 works of art were discovered in July 2014 by the sister of artist James Green, Jr., an Orangeburg native. Green s collection of acrylics, oils, sketches and sculpture begins in 1952 and ends in 1978. His collection represents the complete artistic works created by Green from high school through college years and beyond. The collection was discovered by Green s sister, Annie Green-Purvis, and Cecil Williams, a nationally-known photographer and resident of Orangeburg as well. Williams and Green-Purvis decided to write and publish a book that would highlight the works of Green. The book, Timeless The Rediscovered Art of James H. Green, Jr., was written by Green s sister and published by Williams. The book features a compelling body of nearly 200 abstract paintings by Green. It is remarkable that all works ever created by Green remain sequentially intact, said Williams. This is extremely unusual because by the time many artists reach a pinnacle in their career, they have sold their art to patrons and collectors. More than 200 are not reproduced in this volume for all to see. Until now, none of Green s art has ever been reproduced, sold or offered to be sold. Only a few works of his have ever been exhibited or shown to the public. Even in Green s hometown of Orangeburg, very few people know about or have seen his art work. Annie Laura Green-Purvis called me one day and suggested I go with her to look at his work. At first, she thought the collection consisted of only 50 or more, but after entering the attic, we uncovered more than 400 works of art in boxes that had not been opened in more than 40 years, said Williams. After viewing the collection, I was astounded by the rich treasure we had uncovered. This is just one of the reasons why I consider it a wonderful honor and opportunity to publish a book about his art and bring the personal journey of Green forward into the 21st century, Williams said. Williams added, Green s paintings represent art that is sometimes independent of known visual references. He uses color, pattern, form and lines that are a departure from reality. However, his portrait drawings in charcoal, conte´ and pen and pencil are quite realistic. Remarkably, his abstracts closely resemble current trends in modern art. Green, who is the youngest of three children, to the late James Henry Green Sr. and Maggie Miles Green, Orangeburg natives, graduated from Wilkinson High School in 1954. Green inherited his artistic side from his father. Green s father, James Henry Green Sr., was an educator who taught industrial arts and was also an architect and builder. While attending Claflin College, Green Sr. and another student designed Trinity United Methodist Church in Orangeburg. His father also graduated from South Carolina State College. From 1943 until retirement in 1965, Green s father taught industrial arts at Wilkinson High School. During his high school years, Green s sport of choice was tennis. Inspired by the performance of Althea Gibson, Green became one of the best players around, winning several trophies and the junior championship nationally and in the southeastern United States. We were best friends and partners in tennis doubles winning against opponents all the way to the finals in the American Tennis Association (ATA), Williams said. Then, ATA was the only tennis sports organization that sponsored national and regional tournaments for African Americans.

200 pages, Hardcover

Published December 16, 2014