Bernard Williams Overview

Bernard Williams was born in Chicago and grew up on the south side of the city. He received a BFA degree from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana and an MFA from Northwestern University. In 1990, he began teaching at the School... [more]

Bernard Williams was born in Chicago and grew up on the south side of the city. He received a BFA degree from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana and an MFA from Northwestern University. In 1990, he began teaching at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Williams records in his paintings the complexities of the history of the American West by developing an extensive system of symbols and signs representing various cultures. Portraits of blacks from Western history are painted in bold acid tones and are often surrounded by grids of symbols and words--fragments of history. States the artist, "Of particular interest to me have been the Black Cowboys, Black-Indian relations, African and Native American arts, and the West as a place shared and constructed by multiple cultures, including Anglos, Hispanics and Asians." [show less]