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THE MAVERICK FROM EATONVILLE
22" X 30" Oil Painting
Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960), a native Florida writer and social anthropologist,
wrote stories and studies of life, music, and folklore in African American culture.
Born and raised in the historic African American community of Eatonville, Florida,
her literary success took her far from that little Central Florida town to points
over the entire nation and to the island of Haiti.
Hurston's work champions diverse and sometimes controversial views and issues of
Black citizens in the first half of the twentieth century.ÊLike her friend and
contemporary, fellow Florida author, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, she produced her
most famous literary works in the 1920s-1940s. Asked to describe Hurston, N.Y.
Nathiri, author and founder of the annual Zora Neale Hurston Festival, replied, "She
was a maverick." After writing numerous novels during her life, Hurston's fortunes
dimmed and her life ebbed to a humble end in 1960 in Ft. Pierce, Florida, where she
is buried.
In the painting, Zora Neale Hurston steps from the porch of a typical Eatonville home,
surrounded by flowers and plant life familiar to the area. Known for her bold and
stylish fashion, Zora flaunts the style of the day, including her ever-present hat.
Objects in the scene may be enigmatic to those unfamiliar with Hurston's stories,
but are allegorical symbols that inspired her.
This work is fondly dedicated in thankful memory to Clara Helen Rosevear - Helper, Teacher, Friend
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