"Harold Newton, The Original Highwayman" by Gary Monroe.

The Florida landscape is a drama composed of light, color, and form that hints at dark, primordial forces. Perhaps no artist has captured that dichotomy better and more prolifically than Harold Newton. Like the other young black artists who would later become known as the Highwaymen, Newton was painting his way out of the citrus groves, the packing houses, and Jim Crow laws that fueled the despair of African Americans in 1950's Florida. As the first Highwayman, and in classical terms the best, Newton's paintings are among the most highly prized.

This volume includes reminiscences from relatives, customers, and Highwaymen, combining the little-known story of Harold Newton's life with an exquisite selection of his paintings. Author Gary Monroe explores the enduring appeal of this pivotal artist and provides a glimpse of mid-century African American life in the Indian River area that gave birth to the movement.