Lot 42
**Originally Listed At $400**
Black Joe Jackson (American, 1922-1997). "Me Be Getn Da Tradr" house paint on plywood, n.d. Signed at lower left and titled down left margin. A striking self-portrait from Atlanta-born outsider artist Black Joe Jackson, "Me Be Getn Da Tradr" captures the artist himself in the act of driving a red tractor through the textured Southern landscape. Painted with house paint on found plywood, the scene is rendered in Jackson's signature flat, vibrant style, full of saturated color and symbolic presence. The title, spelled out vertically in red block script along the left margin, leaves no ambiguity about the figure's identity - the use of "Me" clearly asserts that this is Jackson, picturing himself at work in a moment of personal pride and agency. Jackson portrays himself at the helm, dressed in a bright coral shirt and sky-blue pants, confidently turning to the side as if surveying the field or calling out to a neighbor. Size: 0.2" L x 12" W x 17.5" H (0.5 cm x 30.5 cm x 44.4 cm)
One of the tractor's large black wheels dominates the lower half of the image, anchoring the composition while symbolizing the physical labor and movement that so often ground his work. The backdrop - a richly mottled blend of earthy green, sienna, and orange beneath a streaked, purple sky - evokes the Southern terrain that shaped Jackson's life and art.
With his bold use of color, compressed perspective, and phonetic titling, Jackson channels the spirit and voice of his Atlanta community in every stroke. The artist's deliberately unpolished technique and expressive distortion lend this piece a raw emotional honesty, while his use of found materials links him to a broader African American folk art tradition. "Me Be Getn Da Tradr" is more than an image of rural labor - it is a declaration of selfhood, memory, and resilience from one of the South's most distinctive vernacular voices.
About the Artist: Black Joe Jackson was a self-taught African-American artist born to a sharecropper family near Atlanta, Georgia in 1920. Jackson created paintings on wooden boards and used easily available materials such as house paint an scrap wood. He was born with dyslexia, and the writings on his paintings demonstrate this. He is oftentimes described as a folk artist or an outsider artist due to his playful, naive style. Jackson's themes reflect memories from his childhood in the South.
Provenance: private Rochester, Minnesota, USA collection, acquired from 1990 -1998
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#192004
- Condition: Signed at lower left and titled down left margin. Painting is in excellent overall condition with suspension wire on verso for display.
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