Arthello Beck Jr; painter
Hyfler/Rosner
road
BYLINE: JOE SIMNACHER, Staff Writer
Dallas Morning News
Arthello Beck Jr., the longtime Oak Cliff artist, loved to
travel for inspiration.
His paintings reflected his visits to West Africa, Brazil,
England, Egypt, Central America and the Caribbean.
The largely self-taught painter was on his way to Caddo Lake
when he died of an apparent heart attack Friday in Tyler. He
was 63.
Visitation will be from noon to 7 p.m. Thursday at Lincoln
Funeral Home.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Oak Cliff Bible
Fellowship, 1808 W. Camp Wisdom Road.
"He was a gentle giant and very, very humble," said Artist
Thornton, a longtime friend.
Mr. Beck was known for his distinctive work in oil,
watercolor, pencil and charcoal. His paintings and drawings
from the 1960s dealt with the civil rights movement. Other
subjects included children, religious themes and scenes of
human interaction, based in part on his travels.
A firm believer in the grass roots, Mr. Beck felt an
obligation to help others in the community, whether artists
or patients at the Dallas County Mental Health and Mental
Retardation Center, where he worked in the mid-1970s.
"He was not a big talker, but more of a quiet warrior using
his art and volunteer time to speak to the community and to
our world," said Marilyn Clark, founder and curator of Black
Cinematheque Dallas. "He used his art to bring about a
higher level of consciousness in the community, for he
understood the purpose of art was to tell the truth."
Born in Dallas, Mr. Beck knew by the time he was 7 that he
wanted to be an artist. He was a graduate of Lincoln High
School, where he received his only formal art training.
He worked for the Postal Service and held various other jobs
before becoming a professional artist.
He continued his art education on breaks during clerical and
janitorial jobs at department stores, searching the library
for art books.
"Most of what I learned I picked up from the library or
other people," he once said. "I'm not a very verbally
communicative person, and I don't dance or sing or play an
instrument. My real motivation toward art came from the
streets."
Mr. Beck was an active member of the local art scene during
the 1970s and 1980s, when he promoted the work of other
black artists at the Arthello Beck Gallery in Oak Cliff. He
had assumed a lower profile in recent years.
"Arthello was part of a family of African-American artists
who through their art interacted with the Dallas community
for a number of years," says Jean Lacy, a Dallas artist who
was showcased at Mr. Beck's gallery during the late 1970s.
"His work drew attention to the need of keeping one's
cultural heritage alive. The power of his work can be
attributed to a personal, kindred relationship with the
African-American community."
Mr. Beck will have a longtime dream fulfilled Dec. 19, when
his work will displayed at the Dallas Museum of Art. His
1969 painting Confrontation, an expressive image of two men
struggling, is featured in a touring exhibition of
basketball star Grant Hill's art collection set for the DMA
exhibit next month.
Mr. Beck taught oil painting at the college and community
level, and in 1985 was appointed Ambassador of Goodwill by
Texas Gov. Mark White.
Mr. Beck is survived by his wife, Mae Beck of Dallas; a
daughter, Mashariki Beck Okpiabhele of Dallas; and three
grandchildren.
Staff critics Janet Kutner and Tom Sime contributed to this
report.