May 2024 | Now Archived
Soulful Strokes: The Art of William H. Johnson
“My aim is to express in a natural way what I feel, what is in me, both rhythmically and spiritually, all that which in time has been saved up in my family of primitiveness and tradition, and which is now concentrated in me.” — William H.
William H. Johnson, 1943
William H. Johnson, 1939
William H. Johnson, 1940
William H. Johnson, 1940
William H. Johnson, 1937
William H. Johnson, 1945
Harlem Street Scene with Full Moon
William H. Johnson, 1940
Little Girl in Orange
William H. Johnson, 1944
Lift Up Thy Voice and Sing
William H. Johnson, 1944
Nehru and Gandhi
William H. Johnson, 1945
Harriet Tubman
William H. Johnson, 1945
ABOUT THE ARTIST
William Henry Johnson (1901-1970) was an African-American painter from South Carolina. He studied at the National Academy of Design in New York City and later lived in France, where he was influenced by modernism. After marrying Danish artist Holcha Krake, they lived in Scandinavia, where he was inspired by folk art. They moved to the US in 1938, and Johnson taught at the Harlem Community Art Center. Known for his powerful folk style, his works are held by the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
The exhibition “Soulful Strokes: The Art of William H. Johnson” was curated by ART | library deco. All artworks by the artist in the virtual gallery are in the public domain.
ART | library deco 