Robert Butler (September 25, 1943 – March 19, 2014) was a Postwar & Contemporary Artist best known for his portrayals of the woods and

backwater Backwater or Backwaters may refer to: Music * ''Backwaters'' (album), a 1982 album by American guitarist Tony Rice * Backwater (band), a jazz fusion band from Mobile, Alabama, or this band's 1976 debut album * "Backwater", a song by Brian Eno fro ...

s around

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

Everglades The Everglades is a natural region of tropical climate, tropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large drainage basin within the Neotropical realm. The system begins near Orland ...

. He was a member of the well-known

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

artist's group, The Highwaymen.

Early life

Butler was born in the small timber and farming community of

Baxley, Georgia Baxley is a city in Appling County, Georgia, Appling County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 4,942. The city is the county seat of Appling County. Histor ...

, on September 25, 1943. Raised by his mother, Annie Talifer Butler, who always took time to instill the principles of faith and compassion in her family, Butler considers his upbringing as "classically American." In 1947, Butler moved to

Okeechobee, Florida Okeechobee ( ) is a city in south-central Florida and is the county seat of Okeechobee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city's population was 5,254. It is the county seat of Okeechobee County. The Lake Okee ...

, where he later became intimately familiar with the woods and waters of the Florida Everglades, and especially Lake Okeechobee, that feature prominently in his paintings. Robert Butler's goal in his paintings was to preserve the nature around him which was easily accessible due to his location. The inspiration for the content of his paintings was drawn from those various landscapes. His professional career began in 1968. In the early days, he often sold his paintings door-to-door or on the roadside. The term "Highwayman" which Butler helped to coin for his category of artist was given due to their method of producing paintings and then traveling along the highways of Florida to sell the paintings for a living. He honed his skills by creating upwards of one hundred paintings per year. Despite a lack of formal training, Robert developed his own style, which was exemplified by dramatically-lit portrayals of landscapes. Butler was named a Knight by a member of the Royal Family of

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

, namely Prince

Ermias Sahle Selassie Prince Ermias Sahle Selassie (born 14 June 1960 in Addis Ababa) is the only son of Prince Sahle Selassie of Ethiopian Empire, Ethiopia and Princess Mahisente Habte Mariam. He is the grandson of Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopian Empire, Ethiop ...

. The Imperial Order of the Star of Honor of the Ethiopian Empire, the order to which Butler was inducted, was created to honor both domestic and foreign individuals who had given exemplary service to the

Ethiopian Empire The Ethiopian Empire (), also formerly known by the exonym Abyssinia, or just simply known as Ethiopia (; Amharic and Tigrinya: ኢትዮጵያ , , Oromo: Itoophiyaa, Somali: Itoobiya, Afar: ''Itiyoophiyaa''), was an empire that historical ...

Death

Sometime in his 40s Butler was diagnosed with diabetes; a disease which eventually contributed to his death while living at a nursing home in

Lakeland, Florida Lakeland is the most populous city in Polk County, Florida, part of the Tampa Bay Area, located along Interstate 4 east of Tampa. According to the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau release, the city had a population of 112,641. Lakeland is a principal c ...

. Butler died on March 19, 2014 at the age of 70.Pera, Eric (March 19, 2014
Noted Landscape Painter Robert Butler Dies
The Ledger (Lakeland, Florida). The Ledger, Retrieved March 19, 2014.

Bibliography

* 2014 - Highwaymen Artists, An Untold Truth

References

Notes

Robert Butler Highwaymen Art Authentication Reseach Services
*
Collection of Robert Butler paintings at Florida's Second District Court Of Appeal

Robert Butler (20th Century)
a
Ask Art - The Artists' Bluebook

Interior Landscape

SFCC Museum of Fine Arts and Culture

External links