Williams Tolliver combines the study of formal structure with an innate sense of human observation. In his native Mississippi, far from the marketplace of the New York City art world, Tolliver arose during the mid-1980’s; a brilliant regional talent, an individual impelled by a desire to capture the landscapes and peoples of his native deep South. Whether dealing with everyday workers or back-alley jazzmen, he conveys a universal message through sconces of the common human experience. “I could draw on a lot of sad and depressing things from my life, but I’d rather emphasize the positive,” he said.
Despite his avid self-study of color and form, Tolliver began to experience a “feeling of emptiness” toward realistic art. At age 13 the discovery of the work of another self-taught artist, Vincent Van Gogh, served as a revelation: “Van Gogh painted purely for the love of it,” Tolliver said in the International Review of Art. “I can relate to that. I also liked his use of color, the way the light was reflected in his paintings, the powerful feeling in his work.” He was also inspired by Van Gogh’s ability to paint his local countryside and its rural folk with a power of deep human insight.
Critically ranked with such famous African American artists as Romare Bearden and Jacob Lawrence, Tolliver soon gained the reputation as one of America’s most renowned contemporary artists. Tolliver's new and unique style has been termed “representational abstract expressionism.” In the late 1980’s the artist’s abstract-style paintings were shown at museum exhibitions including the Contemporary Arts Center New Orleans, the New Orleans Museum of Art, and the U.S. Senate Building in Washington, D.C.
Tolliver has received numerous awards and recognitions for his contributions in the field of art. He has been featured in major art publications, including The Art Gallery International and the International Review of African American Art. His works is in the permanent collections of the Corcoran Museum of Art, McKissick Museum, Hampton University Museum, New Orleans Museum of Art and the Zigler Art Museum.
