The range of William H. Johnson's art was immense. His styles were as diverse as the realist/impressionist schools, Van Gogh like expressionist landscapes, as well as what has been described as "naive" art. As a child in Florence, South Carolina, Johnson's love of drawing came from his copying the simple pictures of the daily comics. Johnson stayed in Florence until 1918, when he migrated north. He moved to Harlem and enrolled at the National Academy of Art under Charles Hawthorne and George Lorks. Upon graduation in 1926, Johnson moved to Paris under the urgings of Hawthorne. The European artistic community proved very important to Johnson's development. They urged Johnson to devote his life to his painting. By 1930 his style seems to show signs of change and his paintings took on a Van Gogh like style. 1930 was also the year he married a potter from Denmark, Holcha Krake.His use of the African American community of both Harlem and South Carolina as well as a very conscience "folk" style of painting helps to show how the concept of "self" was linked to the tradition and change in Harlem. By casting an urban scene within a rural style of painting Johnson speaks to the sense of the new, urban, African American community formed from the displaced parts of past communities. He was born in Florence, South Carolina, 1901 and died in Central Islip, New York, 1970.
[Oil on burlap, 86.3 x 95.9 cm]
2 comments:
This is really realist because they took to woman based in the reality of those women, also I think this art is a little bit weird because of the figures but that's to getting a sarcastic way.
what impressed me more was the strangeness and uniqueness of his style, it's really nice getting to know such a new proposal, at least new to me. completely aways from the standard painting!
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