The Seminole Paintings by Eugene Savage

On Sunday, October 30, 2011 I went to the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens with my boyfriend and his younger sister. We went to see the art exhibition The Seminole Paintings by Eugene Savage.

Eugene Savage is an American artist and is considered to be a muralist. In the 1930s, Savage became captivated by the Seminole Indian tribe and looked to primitivism for inspiration because of the idea that primitive cultures were superior to industrialized societies. So, in 1935 Savage traveled into the Florida Everglades to study the tribe. Because of his extensive interest, Savage ended up documenting the life of the Seminole Indians from the early twentieth century through his artwork.

With his arrival to Florida, Savage intention was to study the Seminole Indians in the tribe’s natural habitat of the Florida Everglades, but at this time the American enterprise was transforming the area of South Florida. Savage’s artwork depicts the essence of the Seminole culture including clothing, customs, and traditions. But because of the American transformation of the Everglades that was occurring, his work is also effective in expressing the sorrow, worry, and devastation as the Seminole tribe felt as they faced the invasion that was threatening the Seminole way of life.

My visit to the exhibition, The Seminole Paintings, by Eugene Savage was very enlightening. I learned a lot about Florida history, especially the history of Seminole Indian tribes. Looking at some pieces I felt as if I was there; for those paintings with water, I felt that if I touched the painting I would draw my hand back and it would be wet. When I looked at other paintings, I could almost feel the pain and sorrow they depicted as the Seminole way of life was being threatened. The following painting is one of the many pieces of art by Savage really took my breath away. According to the Seminole folklore, a Seminole woman who compromised herself by having relations with a white man becomes referred to as “Ho-la wa-gus” which in English terms means “no good”. A woman in this situation is then banned from the culture. She is given a knife and a boat and forced to a remote area of the swamps to fend for herself. This folklore is what is depicted in the picture below.

Savage’s art was so beautiful and realistic. All his paintings were oil paintings on canvas and I believe this use of oil is what allowed Savage to produce works that were so beautiful with the realistic characteristics the paintings contained. I have always loved looking at paintings and other various kinds of artworks, but never have I seen such work that was so enchanting and captivating.

After visiting the exhibition, we went and visited the gardens and all the other exhibits the museum had to offer. If you do not have the chance to check out this awesome Seminole exhibition by Savage while it is on display, still visit the museum, especially the gardens. They are absolutely beautiful.