William T. Williams’ painting at NOMA draws on quilts, jazz | Arts

William T. Williams’ works of art are celebrated for their large-scale, vibrant, colorful and geometric compositions. Central to the visual feast are the large concentric circles and undulating, intersecting lines in his paintings, akin to what is known as a “diamond in the box” pattern.

This recurring motif in Williams’ works echoes the prevalent shape incorporated in quilts made by women in his North Carolina community during his childhood.

The diamond is also a metaphor for the use of confined spaces as a launching point from which to create abstract works, whether a quilt or a painting, that is accessible to various audiences and resonates widely.

Of equal and further influence on Williams’ oeuvre is jazz music and its improvisational qualities.

Williams said his work as an abstract painter involves struggling with an idea and committing to creating artworks that have the power and responsibility to communicate across cultures.

Williams exemplifies how his art is rooted in a diverse range of influences, traditions and sophistications, encompassing both rural and urban, as well as the minimal and expressive, and familial and abstract.

Anne Collins Smith is chief curator at the New Orleans Museum of Art.

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