Works Royal Robertson

1 works

1.1 materials , themes
1.2 home
1.3 exhibitions , collections

works

robertson remained in louisiana after marriage ended , became recluse. largely scorned neighbors , overcome misogynistic rage towards former wife , women in general. robertson suffered paranoid schizophrenia , claimed have had first vision, futuristic vision of space ship god driver, when fourteen. when marriage ended began record visions in imagery , writings. numerous hallucinatory visions of space travel aliens predicted end of days through complex numerological formulas , warned him dangers of adultery , fornication led robertson believe victim of global female conspiracy. believed ex-wife s betrayal cause of cataclysmic destruction of humanity, , art divinely sanctioned. according social anthropologist frédéric allamel, robertson saw himself patriarch in search of new zion , prophet legacy consist of apocryphal work. identitied himself libra patriarch prophet lord archbishop apostle visionary mystic psychic saint royal robertson . robertson self-taught artist no formal training although according paul arnett, writer on african-american vernacular art of american south, robertson took correspondence course in art.

materials , themes

robertson worked on materials poster board , paper or wood using magic markers, tempera paint, colored pencils, ball point pens , glitter. studied bible , there many references in work references girlie magazines , comic strips , science fiction. preoccupied numerology , biblical prophecies of end of days book of revelation. frequent themes included images of aliens , spaceships, bible verses , religious references, fire breathing, godzilla-like monsters, snakes, architectural drawings of houses , temples in futuristic cities, superheroes, , portraits of adell identified jezebel , other amazon-like harlots . colorful drawings included rambling, judgmental, ranting texts, in comic book-like speech balloons, adulterous whores , unfaithful spouses. referenced precise , painful moments in life, particularly wife s unfaithfulness him , produced calendars chronicling memories of marriage in short journal notations scribbled in each date s block. of work included images conveyed sense of artist pitted against forces of evil. works double-sided , when signed pieces, add prophet front of name, or alternatively patriarch .

home

robertson s home , yard decorated hundreds of signs, drawings, calendars , shrines. exterior decorated variety of painted , rotating signs including warnings whores , bastards should stay away , misogynistic messages denouncing bad women addressed ex-wife adell. interior decorated drawings pinned every available wall. many drawings inside home of ex-wife , interior included number of shrines dedicated her. according allamel, robertson developed complicated spatial ritualization before allow visitors sacred/profane inner space . home destroyed hurricane andrew in august 1992. 2 collectors helped him file papers federal government recover losses.

exhibitions , collections

robertson s work has been featured in many exhibitions , number of works held in permanent collections including smithsonian american art museum, mississippi museum of art, university art museum, lafayette, brogan museum, american visionary art museum , art museum of southeast texas.