Gullah Spirit

"Jonathan Green renders in glorious life-giving color the cultural landscape and very soul of the Gullah people. Each painting captures the vitalizing quality of his own beautiful spirit and unique lyrical artistry. And I am at once reminded of W. E. B. Du Bois, who described his own majestic The Souls of Black Folk as the effort 'to speak from within—to depict a world as we see it who dwell therein.'"—Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, Harvard University and National President, Association for the Study of African American Life and History

"To understand the spirit of the Gullah, you must contend with the work of Jonathan Green. The vibrancy and truth of his paintings leap from these pages, wrap a shawl around your heart, and command you to dance with them! This book is a movement unto itself, decades in the making—and will hold a center stage spot in my library forever."—Tonya Matthews, CEO, International African American Museum

"You cannot stop admiring the art of Jonathan Green. He celebrates Gullah life with such tenderness, joy and immediacy—children on swings, women in their hats, and men telling stories in the crooks of trees—that it makes you hungry for more of his genius and for more Gullah culture."—Lawrence Hill, author of The Book of Negroes

"With this book, Jonathan Green continues to be the authoritative herald of Gullah visual arts. With his unique aesthetic sensibility, bold fashion designs, and vibrant colors, Green uses scenes from daily life to deftly explore Gullah culture, family, community, and deep spirituality. The result is simultaneously a gorgeous work of art and compelling memoir."—Bernard Powers, professor emeritus of history and founding director of the Center for the Study of Slavery at the College of Charleston

"Jonathan Green's Gullah Spirit is one of the most beautiful books that I have ever seen. Every page sings: sometimes with quiet dignity but more often with delightful exuberance. The scenes and people are of the South Carolina coast — the Gullah folk seen through an evocative artist's eye. There are timeless rhythms of coastal rural life from the marshes and the beaches to the countryside. Even the quotidian parts of life — washdays, seaside strolls, church prayers, bonnets and gowns, and farming — become magical and vibrantly colorful views of memories and of enduring traditions."—Dwight McInvaill, co-author of Alice: Alice Ravenel Huger Smith, Charleston Renaissance Artist