William H. Johnson, Off to War, ca. 1942-1944, oil on plywood, 25 1⁄8 x 32 5⁄8 in. (63.9 x 83.0 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.605
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Artwork Details
- Title
- Off to War
- Artist
- Date
- ca. 1942-1944
- Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 25 1⁄8 x 32 5⁄8 in. (63.9 x 83.0 cm)
- Credit Line
- Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- Mediums
- Mediums Description
- oil on plywood
- Classifications
- Subjects
- Occupation — military — soldier
- Architecture Exterior — domestic — farmhouse
- Object — other — flag
- African American
- Figure group — family
- Object Number
- 1967.59.605
Artwork Description
In 1942, on National Negro Achievement Day, William H. Johnson received a certificate of honor for his “distinguished service to America in Art.” The award recognized his scenes of black soldiers, which Johnson began painting after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Off to War shows a young man leaving his family in the rural South. Just up the road, a figure on a bus sticks his head out to urge him on. The family forms a pattern of red, white and blue that contrasts with the menacing, bile-colored horizon. Three telephone poles like the crosses on Calvary march into the distance, conveying a blessing on the young soldier or suggesting perhaps the sacrifice that he might have to make.