SPOLETO 2004 SIGNED JONATHAN GREEN POSTER

Jonathan Green's stunning offset lithograph entitled “Eyelets” is the official 2004 poster for Charleston's Spoleto Festival.  Green’s oil on canvas of the same name served as the inspiration for this poster.  Signed by the artist, this poster is one of Green’s many artworks celebrating the Gullah culture that flourished in the South Carolina Low Country where Green, an African American, was born.

Green is known for his bold use of color, his explorations of Gullah culture and his portrayal of scenes from everyday life in his art.  This poster celebrates that euphoric moment when the swing is headed to the heavens, and the rider hangs on, thrilled and a bit terrified as she is turned upside down and about to become airborne.  The top angle from which she is shown swinging makes this scene especially dramatic.

The vivid colors in the poster (typical of those Green uses) pop out and grab our attention.  The bright green hat and boldly red dress with its blue and white ribbons, cuffs and hem are set off against the blue sky with its white puffy clouds. The eyelets decorating the hem and collar of her dress add a sweet, old-fashioned look to the outfit. Perhaps that is why this artwork is named Eyelets.

Born in 1955 and raised in Gardens Corner, SC near Beaufort, Green moved to Chicago to attend the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where he earned a BFA.  After serving in the US Air Force, he lived in Florida before moving to the Charleston area.

Spoleto Festival is a performing arts festival in Charleston South Carolina founded in 1977 as the US counterpart to the Festival dei Due Mondi (The Festival of Two Worlds) in Spoleto, Italy.  This annual 17 day late-spring event showcases performances of opera, dance, theater, classical music and jazz.

This bright poster will add color and joy to every place it calls home.

Condition: A