John Dunkley (10 December 1891 – 17 February 1947) was a self-taught Jamaican painter and sculptor. Though his fame is largely posthumous, he is considered one of the island's most significant artists. Dunkley's scenes are full of references to the unsettling political, economic and social conditions roiling colonial Jamaica in the 1930s and 1940s. The work reflects the racial tension, economic inequality and desire for self-government felt by Jamaicans and other Caribbean islanders. His creative output also coincided with the search for forms of "authentic" Jamaican expression that preceded the independence movement. Above all, though, Dunkley's oeuvre is a singular exploration of a complicated and often-dark personal and cultural identity.