South End / Lower Roxbury art by Allan Rohan Crite

[JohnAKeith]

I just learned about a great artist, Allan Rohan Crite. He lived and worked in the South End for many years. He lived from 1910-2007. Articles I've read say his home was also a museum, located at 410 Columbus Ave, but I'm not sure if it's still up and running.

These are cool because you can see parts of Boston (South End) that you don't see in many photos (assuming, of course, they are of real locations ...).

The above is called "School's Out!" or something similar.

The Elevated on the MTA. But, where?

I read this is supposed to be Madison Park, but don't know. Most of Madison Park is now a project, no?

Harrison Ave, per chance?

This is supposed to be Hubert Street. I don't know where Hubert Street was.

This is the first painting I saw of Crite's. I could tell where this was, immediately (unless I'm wrong!). It's on Albany Street facing downtown near that new ball park, near where the bus terminal / Mobil Station is located. The mother church of the Archdiocese is between those two rows of townhouses. No?

Where was this?

More Madison Park?

Harrison Ave? Albany?

Er, not the best one, no?

 

[vanshnookenraggen]

Wow, great find! Madison Park was ripped up for the Inner Belt and is now housing just south of Melnea Cass Blvd. There is a "park" in about the same place but it isn't what it used to be.

 

[Lurker]

Many of those paintings appear to be the area in and around Madison Square and the vicinity of Columbus Avenue along Hammond, Lenox, Camden, etc. A combination of housing projects and the inner belt expressway clearance all but expunged that urbanity from the city.

 

[tobyjug]

The Athenaeum has a whole bunch of Mr. Crite's paintings. Used to be one hung by the elevator on, what, the first floor? (Post renovation I don't know where anything is anymore.)

 

[briv]

Great thread, John. I thought it was pretty Boston-centric, so I moved it to Existing.

I caught the Crite exhibition at the BPL after he died hoping to see more of his urban paintings, but it consited mainly of his developmental work. I really mostly wanted to see what you posted here.

 

[Roxxma]

The fourth one down (men reading the newspaper) is Columbus Av by Northampton St. The church, nee synagogue, on the corner of Columbus and Northampton is in the background as is the former Bob The Chef's building. I walk by this daily, as I live a little further down Northampton.

 

[JohnAKeith]

His single-family home on Columbus Ave in the South End is now up for sale, fyi.

 

[Ron Newman]

Madison Park is now a large high school, which presumably was built by demolishing the neighborhood that was formerly there.

 

[JohnAKeith]

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip..._byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1

An homage to a great Boston artist.

Also, to an unintelligible Boston mayor (1:26)

 

[bweiss]

The second-to-last painting is in the MFA; it shows the now-vanished corner of Dilworth and Northampton Streets. Crite lived above the drug store on the corner for about four decades.

 

[JohnCostello]

Madison Park is now a large high school, which presumably was built by demolishing the neighborhood that was formerly there.

Ron - Where the High School is now used to be a vacant factory. I remember watching it burn with my dad around 1973-1974. The old Madison Park was a little bit to the east behind where the post office is now.

Regarding the paintings, he did a lot of erotic art as well. I shook his hand back in 2002. That 4th painting from the bottom reminds me of the intersection of Tremont, Warwick, and Hammond, just across from Burke Street, southeast of Douglass Park.

 

[marklp]

For those interested in Mr. Crite's work the book "Allan Rohan Crite: Artist Reporter of the African American Community" is available from Amazon.com. It is the catalog of a show with 55 of Allan's works that I curated at the Frye Art Museum in Seattle in 2001. There are over 60 color plates and wonderful essays about Allan. Cost new is $24.95. Used would be less.

Mark Pomerantz

 

[whighlander]

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip..._byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1

An homage to a great Boston artist.

Also, to an unintelligible Boston mayor (1:26)

There is some aspects of a more modern day Childe Hassam to his works

 

[JohnAKeith]

whighlander, are you being clever? Crite lived around the corner from this:

 

[whighlander]

whighlander, are you being clever? Crite lived around the corner from this:

John,

Occasionally it happens -- even when I'm trying to be clever on purpose

Not a bad location for art

I like that one and of course the Common in the evening which is my favorite Boston area painting (landscape)

 

[qubbin]

Where was this?

This is Frederick Douglass Square. The building in the middle of the picture contained the Douglass Square pharmacy. Tremont street streetcar shown in this view.

 

[BostonObserver]

That is the intersection of Columbus Avenue and Appleton Street. Childe Hassam was living at 282 Columbus Avenue at the time. There is now a park in his name in the area.

 

[JohnAKeith]

You're both right. The question I had asked (back in 2009) was about one of the artist's paintings and qubbin is responding to that question, not about the Hassim painting.