Self-Portrait

William H. Johnson, Self-Portrait, 1929, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.762
Copied William H. Johnson, Self-Portrait, 1929, oil on canvas, 23 1⁄4 x 18 1⁄4 in. (59.0 x 46.3 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.762

Artwork Details

Title
Self-Portrait
Artist
Date
1929
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
23 1⁄4 x 18 1⁄4 in. (59.0 x 46.3 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of the Harmon Foundation
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • African American
  • Occupation — art — painter
  • Occupation — art — printmaker
  • Portrait male — Johnson, William H. — self-portrait
  • Portrait male — Johnson, William H. — bust
Object Number
1967.59.762
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1967.59.762

Artwork Description

The exaggerated features and thickly painted background in this self-portrait reflect William H. Johnson's admiration for European expressionist painters. When he first showed these works in the United States, one critic complained that Johnson was too influenced by foreign styles, while another argued that "a man is an artist first and an American afterwards" (Powell, Homecoming: The Art and Life of William H. Johnson, 1991). Self-Portrait reveals that Johnson's first trip to Europe had shaped not only his style but his self-image, and had set him on a path toward the "primitive" and "spiritual" truth that he felt all good art must possess.