Sam Doyle (American, 1906 to 1985)
Sam Doyle’s major works are on panels of used corrugated roofing tin or plywood sheets, painted with enamel or latex house paint. Often oversized, with some as large as 6′ x 10′, they are a vibrant visual documentation of the Gullah lore and culture on St. Helena, the small island off the coast of South Carolina where he lived his life. St. Helena was virtually isolated until the first quarter of the 20th c. Doyle’s large portraits feature its local characters and reflect its traditions of root doctors and Vodou. His earlier works (from before 1980) are most prized by important private and museum collections. Although his house no longer stands, the street where he lived is now memorialized as Sam Doyle Avenue.
Information Courtesy of Rago Arts, October, 2019.