Manning Williams is a native of Charleston and has established
himself as a prominent figure in South Carolina art circles over
the past forty years. Mr. Williams graduated from the College of
Charleston where he received traditional instruction in painting
and formal technique and later attended the Pennsylvania
Academy of Fine Arts where he experimented briefly with the
potential of abstraction.
He is best known for his large-scale, carefully rendered
representational art, including a series of lowcountry scenes
commissioned in 1985 by the Charleston County Aviation
Authority for installation at Charleston's International Airport. Yet
during the past thirty years he never has abandoned completely
the forms found in his early abstract painting.
himself as a prominent figure in South Carolina art circles over
the past forty years. Mr. Williams graduated from the College of
Charleston where he received traditional instruction in painting
and formal technique and later attended the Pennsylvania
Academy of Fine Arts where he experimented briefly with the
potential of abstraction.
He is best known for his large-scale, carefully rendered
representational art, including a series of lowcountry scenes
commissioned in 1985 by the Charleston County Aviation
Authority for installation at Charleston's International Airport. Yet
during the past thirty years he never has abandoned completely
the forms found in his early abstract painting.
| Dr. Seuss's Pyramid 2008 |
MANNING WILLIAMS
a visual commentary
a visual commentary
| Red Rats and the Liberal Supremacists 2008 |
| Soldier's Kiss 2008 |
The work on display at the Florence Museum represents Williams's ongoing vision for the past 18 years, which is
a clear shift towards an abstract mode of expression. Many of these works draw on conventions of comic strip art
combined with an inner personal vocabulary of forms and symbols that suggest an elusive narrative. The scale
of the paintings range from the tremendous to the intimate and invite the viewer to fill in the gaps where a story
seems to begin and where it leads.
A reception will be held at the Florence Museum on Sunday, September 7th from 3:30-5 PM. The artist
will speak and take questions from the public. Everyone is invited to attend.
a clear shift towards an abstract mode of expression. Many of these works draw on conventions of comic strip art
combined with an inner personal vocabulary of forms and symbols that suggest an elusive narrative. The scale
of the paintings range from the tremendous to the intimate and invite the viewer to fill in the gaps where a story
seems to begin and where it leads.
A reception will be held at the Florence Museum on Sunday, September 7th from 3:30-5 PM. The artist
will speak and take questions from the public. Everyone is invited to attend.