Editor's note: The Amon Carter Museum provided
source material to Resource Library for the following article. If
you have questions or comments regarding the source material, please contact
the Amon Carter Museum directly through either this phone number or web
address:
William H. Johnson's World
on Paper
February 3 - April 8, 2007
From February 3 to
April 8, 2007, the Amon Carter Museum presents William H. Johnson's World
on Paper, an exhibition organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum
that for the first time closely examines the artist's remarkable printmaking
skills. The prints, many exhibited for the first time, reveal the African-American
modernist to be as powerful with graphic media as he proved to be with oils
and tempera. The bold, lively and colorful works mark Johnson as one of
the most experimental printmakers of his generation, and a related group
of vivid watercolors and temperas further demonstrates the breadth of his
graphic expression on paper. Two of the Carter's works from its collection
of six of Johnson's rare serigraphs will be featured in the exhibition.
"Johnson left a legacy of paintings, prints and drawings
that ranges from European-inspired modernism to his own distinctive rhythms,"
said Elizabeth Broun, Smithsonian American Art Museum's Margaret and Terry
Stent director. "His works on paper, in particular, testify to a restless
imagination and powerful visual expression-hallmarks of an inspired American
artist."
Added Jane Myers, Amon Carter Museum senior curator of
prints and drawings, "This exhibition presents a singular opportunity
to experience on an intimate level Johnson's highly personal and deeply
felt subject matter."
Approximately 60 relief prints, serigraphs and drawings
from the Smithsonian's permanent collection provide an overview of Johnson's
career, both in Europe in the 1930s and in New York in the 1940s. Among
the varied subjects of his work are early landscapes of Denmark, Norway
and North Africa; portraits of his neighbors in Denmark; scenes of life
in Harlem and the rural South; religious subjects; and scenes of black enlisted
men and female volunteers of World War II. These works are unlike any other
prints made by American artists of Johnson's generation. He adopted some
of the most avant-garde aspects of modernist abstraction to transform his
portraits, landscapes and figures into highly charged images.
About William H. Johnson
The career of William H. Johnson (1901-1970) was one of
the most brilliant yet tragic of any early 20th-century American artist.
Born in 1901 in Florence, S.C., to a poor family, he moved to New York at
the age of 17. Working a variety of jobs, he saved enough money to pay for
an art education at the prestigious National Academy of Design. Johnson
worked with the painter Charles Hawthorne, who raised funds to send him
abroad to study. He spent the late 1920s in France, absorbing the lessons
of modernism. During this period, he married Danish artist Holcha Krake.
The couple spent most of the 1930s in Scandinavia, where Johnson's interest
in folk art had a profound impact on his work. Returning with Holcha to
the United States in 1938, Johnson immersed himself in African-American
culture and traditions.
Although Johnson attained success as an artist in this
country and abroad, financial security remained elusive. Following his wife's
death in 1944, Johnson's physical and mental health deteriorated; he spent
the final 23 years of his life in a state hospital in Long Island, N.Y.
More than 1,000 paintings, watercolors and prints by Johnson were given
to the Smithsonian American Art Museum by the Harmon Foundation after his
death in 1970.
Exhibition tour
Following its run at the Carter, the exhibition travels
to the Philadelphia Museum of Art (May 20-August 12, 2007) and the Montgomery
Museum of Art in Montgomery, Ala. (September 15-November 18, 2007).
William H. Johnson's World on Paper is organized and circulated
by the Smithsonian American Art Museum. The exhibition tour is supported
in part by the C. F. Foundation, Atlanta.
(above: William H. Johnson (1901-1970), Blind Singer,
ca. 1939-1940, Serigraph on paper. Smithsonian American Art Museum,
Gift of the Harmon Foundation 1971.127)
(above: William H. Johnson (1901-1970), Jitterbugs II,
ca. 1941, Modified screen print, Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, Texas 2000.11)
(above: William H. Johnson (1901-1970), Sowing, ca.
1940-1942, Serigraph on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of
the Harmon Foundation 1967.59.1021)
(above: William H. Johnson (1901-1970), Three Friends,
ca. 1944-1945, Serigraph on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum,
Gift of the Harmon Foundation 1967.59.1020)
(above: William H. Johnson (1901-1970), Harlem Cityscape
with Church, 1939-1940, Tempera on paperboard, Smithsonian American
Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation 1967.59.289)
Introductory text panels from the exhibition
-
- William H. Johnson's World on Paper
-
- William H. Johnson's extensive body of work, a major
achievement of American modernism and African-American expression, was
created in the brief span of only twenty years. Johnson (19011970)
was born in Florence, South Carolina, and educated at art schools in New
York City and Provincetown, Massachusetts. He spent the early years of
his career in Europe, a retreat from the limited opportunities for African-Americans
at home. Johnson was attracted to the expressive qualities of European
modernism. His powerful work of the 1930s conveys the intensity of his
experiences as an artist living in Denmark and traveling around Europe
and North Africa. His bold, rough woodcuts from this time, inspired by
German expressionist woodcutting techniques, distinguish his prints from
the work of most other American artists of the period who would not realize
the dramatic potential of the medium until the following decade.
-
- Much of Johnson's work is on paper: drawings, watercolors,
and prints. Paper was portable when he traveled and affordable when he
had little money. He often printed and painted versions of the same compositions,
varying them to suit the particular medium. Some of his drawings and watercolors
are studies for paintings, but others were intended as independent works
of art.
-
- When Johnson returned to the United States in 1939, he
continued to produce relief prints, but he also began to experiment with
the new printmaking technique of serigraphy, or screenprinting. The flat,
abstracted areas of color that are natural to this process were well suited
to his evolving style, which drew heavily on the bright colors, patterns,
and forms of folk art and African textiles.
-
- Stylistic and technical experimentation are apparent
in both his relief prints and his serigraphs. While many American artists
of his generation made prints to create multiple impressions of a single
image, Johnson created very small editions and often varied the image from
one impression to the next. His prints, like his paintings, reveal the
development of a distinctive artistic language to express powerful narrative,
emotional, and symbolic content.
-
- Unless otherwise noted, all works are from the collection
of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C. William H.
Johnson's World on Paper is organized and circulated by the Smithsonian
American Art Museum. The exhibition tour is supported in part by the C.F.
Foundation, Atlanta.
-
- The materials Johnson used for making relief prints were
also readily available: a scrap of lumber or a piece of linoleum that could
be cut with a knife or gouge, inks, and paper. While most artists used
a brayer to ink their blocks, Johnson inked his with a paintbrush and then
added more color to the print by hand. Instead of using a printing press,
he then applied pressure to the back of the paper either with the heel
of his palm or the bowl of a spoon to transfer the image from the inked
block.
-
Object labels from the exhibition
-
- Willie and Holcha, ca. 1935-39
- Hand-colored relief print on paper
- Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1967.59.793
-
- Johnson married the Danish artist Holcha Krake in 1930
in Kerteminde, Denmark. She was sixteen years his senior and as committed
to her weaving as William was to his art. This image shows how similar
their features and skin colors were, and it is only Holcha's blonde hair
that indicates they were a biracial couple.
- [possible cut from exhibition]
-
- Sunflowers, ca. 1930-32 [1]
- Watercolor and ink on paper
- Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1967.59.61
- [Possible cut from exhibition; move text to 1967.59.749
if this object is cut; use this label if 1967.59.749 is cut from exhibtion]
-
- Harbor Scene, Kerteminde,
ca. 1930-32 [1]
- Watercolor and ink on paper
- Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1967.59.28
-
- Shortly after William married Holcha, they made their
home in Kerteminde, Denmark, a picturesque port town and fishing community
as well as a popular summer vacation destination. The setting probably
reminded William of his experience as a student of Charles W. Hawthorne
in Provincetown, Massachusetts, during the mid-1920s. This bird's-eye view
of the port contrasts the geometric forms of the buildings and docks with
the fluidity of the sea and sky.
-
- Study for Willie and Holcha, ca. 1930-32
- Watercolor on paper
- Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1967.59.89R-V
-
- Portrait (Danish Boy), ca. 1930-32
- Watercolor on paper
- Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1967.59.783
-
- Still Life with Seven Fish, ca. 1930-32
- Watercolor and ink on paper
- Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1967.59.23
- [Possible cut from exhibition; use this label if 1967.59.28
is not cut from exhibtion]
-
- Kerteminde Landscape, ca.
1930-32 [1]
- Tempera and watercolor on paper
- Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1967.59.749
- [Possible cut from exhibition; use this label if 1967.59.28
is cut from exhibtion]
-
- Kerteminde Landscape, ca.
1930-32
- Tempera and watercolor on paper
- Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1967.59.749
-
- Shortly after William married Holcha, they made their
home in Kerteminde, Denmark, a picturesque port town and fishing community
as well as a popular summer vacation destination. The setting probably
reminded William of his experience as a student of Charles W. Hawthorne
in Provincetown, Massachusetts, during the mid-1920s. This bird's-eye view
of the port contrasts the geometric forms of the buildings and docks with
the fluidity of the sea and sky.
-
- Windmill, Denmark, ca. 1930-35
- Hand-colored relief print on paper
- Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1967.59.792
-
- Self-Portrait, ca. 1930-35
- Hand-colored relief print on paper
- Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1967.59.791
-
- Self-Portrait, ca. 1930-35
- Relief print on paper
- Gift of Mrs. Douglas E. Younger
- 1971.140
-
- Fisherman (No. 2), ca. 1930-35
- Relief print on paper
- Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1967.59.823
-
- Holcha Krake, ca. 1930-35
- Hand-colored relief print on paper
- Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1967.59.794
-
- Fisherman, ca. 1930-35
- Relief print on paper
- Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1967.59.822
-
- Fishing and tourism were the primary industries in Kerteminde,
Denmark, where William and Holcha lived after they were married. Carving
directly into a block of wood, Johnson rendered the fisherman's weatherworn
features with little attention to individuality or likeness. He adopted
the deliberately crude cutting and printing techniques of German expressionist
artists to show the fisherman's strength and endurance.
-
- Rooftops, Denmark, ca. 1930-35
- Tempera, watercolor, and ink on paper
- Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1967.59.790
-
- Jon Fisherman (No. 2), ca. 1930-38
- Hand-colored relief print on paper
- Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1967.59.821
-
- Jon Fisherman, ca. 1930-38
- Hand-colored relief print on paper
- Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1967.59.820
-
- Portrait of Jesper Anderson, ca. 1931-32
- Watercolor and ink on paper
- Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1967.59.6
-
- Landscape with Mosques, Tunis, 1932
- Hand-colored relief print on paper
- Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1967.59.857
-
- Tunis was the first stop on William and Holcha's trip
to Africa in 1932. He identified with the dark-skinned people he saw there,
and he sometimes dressed in native costume to blend in while traveling
in North Africa. His depiction of mosques as an idealized city on a hill
reveals his romantic view of the continent.
-
-
- Kairouan - The Grande Rue and the Mosques, ca. 1932 [1]
- Watercolor on paper
- Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1967.59.35R-V
-
- When William and Holcha traveled to Kairouan, Tunisia,
a holy city with a world-famous Great Mosque, they were able to enter the
city gates, even though they had been closed to non-Muslim visitors throughout
much of its history. Although the mosque is the focus of this composition,
Johnson seems to have been more interested in capturing the vitality of
the city, as expressed in his lively brushwork.
-
-
- Kairouan - The Grande Rue and the Mosques, ca. 1932 [1]
- Watercolor on paper
- Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1967.59.35R-V
-
- William and Holcha visited Kairouan, Tunisia, during
their trip to North Africa in 1932. The arched gates and the towering minaret
seem to divide the vernacular architecture leading to the gates from the
holy sites within, which had been closed to non-Muslim visitors throughout
much of its history. The minaret of the Great Mosque is thought to be the
oldest standing one in the world. The diagonal lines across the minaret
appear to be a shorthand notation for sound, probably the Muslim call to
prayer.
-
- City Gates, Kairouan, 1932
[1]
- Watercolor on paper
- Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1967.59.860R-V
-
- William and Holcha visited Kairouan, Tunisia, during
their trip to North Africa in 1932. The arched gates and the towering minaret
seem to divide the vernacular architecture leading to the gates from the
holy sites within. The minaret of the Great Mosque is thought to be the
oldest standing one in the world. The diagonal lines across the minaret
appear to be a shorthand notation for sound, probably the Muslim call to
prayer.
-
- City Gates, Kairouan, 1932
[1]
- Watercolor on paper
- Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1967.59.860R-V
-
- William and Holcha visited Kairouan, Tunisia, during
their trip to North Africa in 1932. The arched gates and the towering minaret
seem to divide the vernacular architecture leading to the gates from the
holy sites within, which had been closed to non-Muslim visitors throughout
much of its history. The minaret of the Great Mosque is thought to be the
oldest standing one in the world. The diagonal lines across the minaret
appear to be a shorthand notation for sound, probably the Muslim call to
prayer.
-
- Volda Fjord, Norway, ca. 1935-37
- Hand-colored relief print on paper
- Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1967.59.896
-
- In 193536, William and Holcha took a bicycle and
camping trip through Norway, with extended stays in Oslo, Lillehammer,
and Volda. Holcha considered Volda to be her Norwegian home and was close
to a local family on whose property she and William stayed during their
time in this region. Johnson preferred remote rural areas such as Volda,
which he felt symbolized the true character of the people and the land.
-
- Portrait I, ca. 1935-38
- Relief print on paper
- Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1967.59.973
-
- Chalets by Jostedal Glacier, ca. 1935-38
- Hand-colored relief print on paper
- Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1983.95.19
-
- Lofoten, Norway - Midnight Sun, ca. 1937-38
- Tempera on paper
- Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1967.59.59
-
- Refugee Boy, ca. 1935-39
- Hand-colored relief print on paper
- Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1967.59.902
-
- Refugee Mother and Child, ca. 193539
- Hand-colored relief print on paper
- Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1967.59.970
-
- These refugees were likely victims of the Spanish Civil
War whom Johnson saw throughout Europe. In this dramatic close-up of a
mother and child, he placed the child's head securely between the mother's
hand and breast, close to her face, but the child's sickly yellow skin
and staring eyes contrast with the mother's healthier pink tone.
-
- Seated Female Nude, ca. 1935-40
- Lithograph on paper
- Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1967.59.207
-
- Johnson made few lithographs, preferring the primitive
quality of vigorously carved woodblocks. This nude recalls the haunted
figures of artist Edvard Munch, to whom he was introduced during his trip
to Norway. The large, unfocused eyes and stark, frontal nudity add a sense
of anxiety to an otherwise straightforward seated figure.
-
- Sitting Model, 1939
- Hand-colored relief print on paper
- Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1967.59.1112
-
- Jitterbugs II, ca. 1941
- Serigraph on paper
- Amon Carter Museum
- 2000.11
-
- Art Class, ca. 1943-45
- Tempera on paper
- Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1967.59.176
-
- Johnson began to teach painting at the Harlem Community
Art Center shortly after he returned to the United States from Denmark
in 1939. This drawing class might have been his own or one taught by another
artist. The presence of both adults and children suggests the informality
of the session.
-
- Harlem Cityscape with Church, ca. 1939-40
- Tempera on paperboard
- Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1967.59.289
-
- Seated Nude, ca. 1939-40
- Hand-colored relief print on paper
- Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1967.59.1130
-
- Living in Harlem, Johnson became conscious of his heritage
and began to sketch African sculpture. The face of this model suggests
the stylization of African sculpture, but the seated posture and background
colors recall the European tradition of depicting nudes in interiors.
-
- Nude SeatedFront View, ca. 1939-40
- Hand-colored relief print on paper
- Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1967.59.1141
-
- Lame ManBust, ca. 1939-40
- Hand-colored relief print on paper
- Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1967.59.1111
-
- Harlem Church, ca. 1939-40
- Relief print on paper
- Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1967.59.1114
-
- Harlem Street with Church, ca. 1939-40
- Hand-colored relief print on paper
- Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1967.59.1113
-
- Street Musicians, 1939-40
- Serigraph on paper
- Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1983.95.22
-
- Blind Singer, ca. 1939-40
- Serigraph on paper
- Gift of Mrs. Douglas E. Younger
- 1971.127
-
- Soap Box Racing, ca. 1939-1940
- Tempera and ink on paper
- Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1967.59.160
-
- Artist and Model, ca. 1939-40
- Tempera on paperboard
- Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1967.59.273
- [possible cut from exhibition]
-