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poster yourself
William H. Johnson
Chain Gang
Harbor Under the Midnight Sun
William H. Johnson was known to have one of the most tragic lives of any artist during the Harlem Reniassance time period. He grew up in a poor, working-class black family. At the age of 17, Johnson moved to New York, and lived there with his uncle, so that he could get a job and pay for his art schooling at the National Academy of Design, whcih he entered into at the age of 20. In 1947, Johnson became a victim of mental illness and was institutionalized for the last 23 years of his life. After he became ill, his work was stored in a warehouse in New York and nearly destroyed. The Harmon Foundation, an organization which supported black artists and promoted their work, saved the paintings in the mid-1950s. More than 1,300 pieces were given to the Smithsonian National Museum of American Art in 1967. After the Museum started to exhibit his paintings, people started to recognize the importance of his work.
Jitterbug
Cafe
Moon over Harlem
Lamentation
Swing Low Sweet Cheriot
Going to Church
Johnson's Artwork
Most Famous
I Baptize Thee -
