Passage IV

Clinton Hill's Found Artist

[1]

At the Urban Vintage, my favorite cafe here in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. I found a table by the window and checked the day's news on my laptop. On the New York Times home page, I noticed an article about Rafael Leonardo Black, 64-year-old Clinton Hill artist who had just been discovered. [A]

[2]

Black, a native of Aruba, has been creating art in his New York city studio apartment for over three decades. Until recently, few people had seen his work. I wondered why—and learned he simply never cared to share it. Black has worked as a typist, a salesperson, and a receptionist. He never expected (or tried) to make a living as an artist. However, in May of 2013, art dealer Francis Nauemann directed to Black's art by one of the Black's longtime friends, displayed sixteen of the artist's drawings in a solo show. Within days, ten of Black's pieces sold for, prices ranging from $16,000 to $28000. [B]

[3]

Black draws collages in black No.2 pencil on white board and they‘re packed with depictions, in the form of drawings, of ancient myths, historic events and popular culture. I found a collage titled Seven Lamps in a quick search online.[c] It features a representation of a British psychedelic poster, a portrayal of Danish surrealist painter, Wilhelm Freddie, at work, and a tiny figure of Los Angeles architect Simon Rodia. The images are stacked, forming a surreal tower. I wasn't sure how the drawings in Seven Lamps—so detailed that I could see the folds in Rodia's clothing—fit together logically, but I like that there was so much for me to puzzle over. Maybe this complexity in May helps explain why Black's work created such a stir.

[4]

I read that Black observes the sudden interest in his drawings. [D]He says he's always been an artist, regardless of who knew it. Given that I know the city, I will keep checking the Times for word of his next show. When I walk home from the Urban Vintage, its decor often being updated with restored antiques and vintage housewares. I wonder if I will pass the brownstone building where, Black, creates his fascinating, newly found art.