David Wilson, title unknown, circa 1970s, oil on Masonite, 28 x 48. As Wilson was known to have executed a commission to paint Scott Joplin we assume this is also a picture of the ragtime composer.
David Wilson, back of the Scott Joplin painting above. Initially we wondered if this was part of a discarded panel of a series of religious paintings he created for the Sedalia Episcopal Church. However, the snake wrapped around the woman’s wrist does not fit any of the forty-four references to serpents in the Bible. Nor does it seem to be a picture of a snake biting Cleopatra. Hygieia, the Greek goddess of health and hygiene is often portrayed feeding or watering a snake wrapped around her. There are ancient sculptures of Hygieia holding a bowl from which the snake is drinking. There is a bowl in Wilson’s fragment. Understanding the origin’s and intent of David Wilson’s art will be challenging.
One day in the 1980s we wandered into Ed Yuell’s frame shop on the courthouse square in Sedalia, Missouri and spied some bold and unconventional artworks left on consignment. The largest of the group we purchased was an oil on Masonite of a piano player. On the back was a section of another picture showing two figures in robes. The woman holds a bowl and has a serpent wrapped around her wrist. Its technique of thickly daubed oil paint is identical to the front but stylistically it is more conventional. The fractured modernist musician front panel was signed WILSON.
Scott Joplin is a local hero and Sedalia has a long running, yearly ragtime festival so we assumed it portrayed the famous composer of “Maple Leaf Rag.” Ed agreed and told us David Wilson painted a Scott Joplin piece, which was on display at the city’s municipal building. The Sedalia Democrat, May 23, 1974, page 14, ran a photo of the artist and this painting, headlined “Municipal Abstract.” The “local artist” was misidentified as David Walker. The next day the paper ran an “identity was wrong” admission and credited David Wilson.
To our knowledge there has been no fine arts recognition of David Henry Wilson (1919-1989). He has not been formally exhibited, or had works sold at auction. In subsequent posts we will reveal what we have learned about this obscure creator of powerful and intriguing images.
(This is the first in a series of six posts on David Wilson.)
I have one of his works!
He was my uncle I sent inlets of photos of his to the state fair museum I still have his and many of my family’s bibles. He was a great uncle and a wonderful man and artist. My grandpa’s drove the big boy his name was david wilson also I was the granddaughter of louise wilson are family goes back to 1805 I sent proof of this up to the fair ground they didn’t even thank me for them.i gave picks of uncle David Scott Joplin painting in news papers .they were finished on my birthday 11 16 1967 .his art was Indian are was painted with one horse hair .most was .he was self tought I’m very proud of my family roots here .I remember the train would stop at grandma’s she would have tables of food set out for all the men who worked for the train grandpa david wilson would wave his hanky when he would get in town on his train and she would wave back .well I could go on and on but I don’t want to bore you all
Thank you for sharing this information about your uncle. We are fans of his paintings and always looking for them. Thanks again!