This vibrant watercolor titled Sideways Eyes by celebrated Miami outsider artist Purvis Young reflects the artist’s spontaneous style and deeply expressive visual language. The composition features a lively arrangement of abstracted figures and horse-like forms rendered in energetic black linework with loose washes of bright watercolor. Bold blues, yellows, greens, and pinks animate the figures, while gestural marks throughout the background create a sense of motion and rhythm.
Recurring motifs common in Young’s work—figures, animals, and symbolic forms—appear throughout the composition. The horse imagery, frequently seen in Young’s paintings and drawings, often symbolizes movement, struggle, and spiritual journey. The layered figures and expressive brushwork evoke a dreamlike narrative, reflecting the improvisational and emotional qualities that define Young’s artistic practice.
Purvis Young is widely recognized as one of the most important self-taught artists associated with Miami’s Overtown neighborhood. His works are held in major museum collections and are celebrated for their raw energy and cultural significance within American outsider and contemporary folk art.
This work was purchased directly from Purvis Young during a 2006 exhibition at the Bergman Collection art exhibit on South Pointe Drive in South Beach, Miami, providing strong provenance and a direct connection to the artist.
Details
Artist: Purvis Young (American, 1943–2010)
Title: Sideways Eyes
Year: Circa 2006
Medium: Watercolor on paper
Signature: Signed "Young"
Provenance: Purchased directly from the artist at the Bergman Collection exhibition, South Pointe Drive, South Beach, Miami, 2006
Dimensions: H: 30 in x L: 24 in
Condition: Good overall condition; framed behind glass with light handling wear consistent with age.
Purvis Young Sideways Eyes watercolor outsider art Miami artist signed painting self taught art contemporary folk art Bergman Collection South Beach provenance horses figures abstract.
Condition
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