the art and life of william h. johnson · the art and life of william h. johnson brinille e. ellis...
TRANSCRIPT
The Art and Life of William H. Johnson Brinille E. Ellis
Johannes Larsen Museum Kerteminde, Denmark
September 26, 2014
What is African American Visual Art?
• A broad term describing the visual arts created by African-Americans.
• Influenced by various cultural traditions, including those of Africa, Europe and the Americas.
• Dates back to the early 1700’s
Themes/Influencing Factors of African American Visual Art
• Slavery (1619-1864)
• Civil War (1861-1865)
• Reconstruction Post Civil War (1865-1877)
• Emancipation (1863)
• Religion – The African American Church
1619-Present
• The Great Migration (1910-30/1930-70)
Themes/Influencing Factors of African American Visual Art
• Civil Rights Movement
• Integration
• Music: Jazz, Gospel, the Blues, Rhythm & Blues
• Family
• Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Early African-American-Artists
• Initial painters during the 1700 and 1800’swere self-taught men in the North (Free States).
• Painted Western European style portraits and landscapes often for wealthy whites.
William Henry Johnson
William Henry Johnson
• One of American’s premier expressionist and folk style artists
• African-American painter born March 18, 1901, died in 1970
• Born in Florence, South Carolina – Poor segregated town
Early Years
• Oldest of five children.
• Johnson copied cartoons from the paper as a child.
• Johnson downplayed his aspirations of becoming an artist, deeming them unrealistic.
The Move Up North
• Johnson left South Carolina in 1918, at the age of 17, to pursue his dreams in New York City.
• He enrolled at the National Academy of Design • Johnson met Charles Webster Hawthorne, a well-
known artist who recognized his talent. • Hawthorne knew that Johnson would have a
difficult time excelling as an African-American artist in the United States.
• He raised money to send Johnson to Paris, upon his graduation in 1926.
Johnson’s Artistic Influences
• From 1926 to 1929 he lived in Paris and southern France.
• He met African American expatriate painter, Henry Ossawa Tanner.
• He lived briefly in Harlem, New York, in 1930 during the Harlem Renaissance
• He lived briefly in Harlem, New York in the 1930’s during the Harlem Renaissance
• He received the Harmon Foundation’s gold medal for Fine Arts in 1930
Kerteminde
• On May 29, 1930 Johnson moved here to Kerteminde, where he married textile artist Holcha Krake whom he had met in Paris.
Portrait of Holcha Krake by William H. Johnson
Return to the U.S.
• In 1938 Johnson and his wife moved back to New York City and had his first solo exhibition in 1941.
• After Holcha Krake's death in 1944, Johnson began showing signs of mental illness.
• He lived briefly in Florence, South Carolina, and in 1946 returned to Denmark.
Johnson’ Final Years
• 1947 returned to U.S.
• Stopped Painting in 1956.
• Spent the next 23 years in a mental institution in Central Islip, NY.
• After his death, more than 1,000 paintings, watercolors, and prints were donated to the Smithsonian American Art Museum (then the National Museum of American Art) by Johnson and the Harmon Foundation.
• Died on January 1, 1970
• William H. Johnson (1901-1970) Ferry Boat Trip, ca. 1943-44 oil on paperboard
• William H Johnson, 1921-26 Oil on canvas,
Themes of African American Art in Johnson’s Paintings
• Life in the Rural South
• Family/Elders
• Harlem Renaissance/Music/Migration
• World War II
• Religion/spirituality
• Racism/Social Inequality
Family
African-American Life in the Rural South
Harlem Renaissance
Harlem Renaissance
Harlem Renaissance
Harlem Renaissance
Racism/Social Inequality
Religion/Spirituality
World War II
Religion/Spirituality
Religion/Spirituality
Portraits
U.S. Postal Service Honors William H. Johnson
Conclusion
• The life and work of William H. Johnson tells the American story and the story of the human spirit
• His legacy is that an artist who struggled in spite of racism and still persevered.
• He sought fortune nor fame, but only to tell his story
TAK!!!