Off to War

William H. Johnson, Off to War, ca. 1942-1944, oil on plywood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.605
Copied 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

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
  • Architecture Exterior — domestic — farmhouse
  • Object — other — flag
  • Occupation — military — soldier
  • African American
  • Figure group — family
Object Number
1967.59.605
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/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.