Nationality American Name William Hollingsworth, Children Billy Hollingsworth | Religion Baptist Occupation Painter | |
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Born February 17, 1910 Jackson, Mississippi Spouse(s) Jane Oakley Hollingsworth Died August 1, 1944, Jackson, Mississippi, United States Parents Willie Belle Van Zile Hollingsworth Books Hollingsworth: The Man, the Artist, and His Work Resting place Cedar Lawn Cemetery, Jackson | ||
See the work of William Hollingsworth
William R. Hollingsworth, Jr. (February 17, 1910 - August 1, 1944) was an American painter.
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Early life
William R. Hollingsworth, Jr. was born on February 17, 1910 in Jackson, Mississippi. His father was William Hollingsworth, Sr., and his mother, Willie Belle Van Zile Hollingsworth; she died when he was less than one year old. He attended public schools and the First Baptist Church in Jackson and the University of Mississippi for two years and then transferred to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, graduating in 1934.
Career
He returned to Jackson, Mississippi after failing to find work in Chicago during the Great Depression. He worked for the Federal Emergency Relief Administration during the day and painted at night. Later, his wife worked as a dressmaker to support them while he focused on being a full-time painter. In 1942, during the Second World War, he tried to enlist in the United States Navy, but his application was rejected due to "poor eyesight" within two weeks.
As a painter, he painted many oil paintings and watercolors. In terms of style, he was inspired by French impressionist painters Paul Cézanne (1839-1906) and Henri Matisse (1869–1954). Many of his paintings showed the lives of black people in West Jackson during segregation. He painted the Mississippi landscape, and sunsets and sunrises. He won prizes from the Chicago Arts Club, the Southern States Art League and the National Watercolor Society.
Some of his paintings are exhibited at the Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson, Mississippi. Author Eudora Welty (1909–2001) wrote a book about him, published posthumously in 2002.
Personal life
He was married to Jane (Oakley) Hollingsworth, from Moline, Illinois. They had a son, Billy.
After years of depression and alcoholism, he committed suicide on August 1, 1944, at the age of thirty-four.