Prophet Royal Robertson



From time to time I intend to post my vacation photos. Don't expect to see anyone parasailing. This is the house of Royal Robertson in Baldwin, LA. He called himself "The Prophet" but the trash collector I stopped and asked for directions called him "that weird guy with all the signs". You can just make out Mr. Robertson in the doorway inviting me back anytime. If he knew portions of his environment were now in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Museum of American Art...I don't think it would register, actually. He lived until 1997, I took these photos long before that. He married Adell Brent in 1955, but it didn't work out.

Two original photographs 35mm c. 1990 collection Jim Linderman

4 comments:

  1. John FosterJanuary 2, 2009 at 7:15 AM

    I LOVE your last comment about Adell, that "it didn’t work out.” Uh-h, no, not quite. ;) Thanks for the post! Wow, these pics are early, when his site was in full bloom! John

    ReplyDelete
  2. TerriMarch 3, 2009 at 6:38 PM

    Very cool pics, thanks for sharing. Just purchased my first piece of art by Royal - seeing his environment makes his work reverberate even more. What a strange mix of science fiction and fear/loathing of the female of the species... Best regards, Terri

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousMay 4, 2009 at 9:52 AM

    I just finished a documentary about four self-taught artists titled MAKE... Royal Robertson is one of the artists in the film. If you want to see a trailer, check out our site: makedocumentary.com

    Very cool shots!
    Scott

    ReplyDelete
  4. Dull Tool Dim BulbMay 4, 2009 at 10:44 AM

    Good luck with your film. Thanks for writing and following the blog.

    ReplyDelete