BIOGRAPHY

Born in the capital city of Tallahassee, Florida, William Anthony Barton III started by drawing cartoons as an adolescent, but grew into creating still-lifes and portraits (occasionally for commissions) up until high school. There he was confronted by an art teacher with the realization that unless he created his own characters, drawing animations wouldn’t garner any attraction within the art community. Since this meeting, William has begun rendering character studies, starting with his friends to practice likenesses, and then incorporated more of a back-story into his artwork. An extensive history of sports in his life outside of art influences most of his subject matter and the stories he chooses to tell. William feels this is his way of bridging the gap between these two entities in his life personally and in the world nation-wide. Just as athletes use their skills and interests to create a better life for themselves, he does the same by combining his talent of creating art and his appeal of physical competition. Not only is it an expression of himself but it also sparks conversation from non-followers, so they can begin to see them as people like us all, rather than entertainers dependent on a game to define them as human beings.

STATEMENT

My art explores the meanings behind the subtle decisions and occurrences of those within sports organizations and how societies responses reflect their view on African Americans as a race, in and out of sports. Rendered in oils, these paintings collectively focus on the stories of African Americans throughout the history of sports that have gone overlooked and under appreciated over time. These compositions illustrate stories that convey messages as powerful as they are revealing and challenges the progress society has made in terms of equality and prejudice. I intend to display these truths in an effort to create empathy towards the modern day (predominantly minority) athlete. Highlighting the African American beliefs, feelings and their personal journeys is my way of bridging the gap between the perception of a physical specimen that can withstand any criticism, insult or pre-conceived notion and them just being civilians with physical talents.
Some people distance themselves from sports because they feel the players are too pretentious or unworthy of the fame they receive. These works attempt to cultivate a sense of empathy that even non-sports fans will find them intriguing. Ultimately these news worthy occurrences that surround the world of sports and effect how society perceives African Americans as a whole, which impacts our daily lives outside of the sports most of us enjoy. Since we all have to co-exist in society with one another, these topics are polarizing enough to garner opinions from everyone, whether they’re sports fans or not.

SHARE: