Art Class

William H. Johnson, Art Class, ca. 1939-1940, oil on plywood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.579
William H. Johnson, Art Class, ca. 1939-1940, oil on plywood, 32 7829 in. (83.573.6 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.579

Artwork Details

Title
Art Class
Date
ca. 1939-1940
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
32 7829 in. (83.573.6 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of the Harmon Foundation
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on plywood
Classifications
Subjects
  • Object — art tool — palette
  • Object — art tool — easel
  • Occupation — education — student
  • African American
  • Figure group — female
Object Number
1967.59.579

Artwork Description

In the late 1930s, William H. Johnson adopted a self-consciously “primitive” style that masked a sophisticated understanding of how to compose a picture. This image is carefully constructed so that all the parts of the painting spin off of the brilliant blue in the girl’s dress at the center of the canvas. The curved chairs, floorboards and diagonal lines of the easels create a two-dimensional pattern that Johnson filled with brilliant color. Art Class reflects Johnson’s experience teaching in a Harlem community center funded by New Deal initiatives such as the Works Progress Administration, which gave young African American artists far greater opportunities than Johnson had known just after World War I, when he was young and ambitious.

Works by this artist (3 items)

Ray Strong, San Francisco from Russian Hill, ca. 1934, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the General Services Administration, 1974.89.9
San Francisco from Russian Hill
Dateca. 1934
oil on canvas
On view
Ray Strong, San Francisco from Russian Hill, ca. 1933-1934, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor, 1964.1.102
San Francisco from Russian Hill
Dateca. 1933-1934
oil on canvas
Not on view
Ray Strong, Golden Gate Bridge, 1934, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1965.18.50
Golden Gate Bridge
Date1934
oil on canvas
Not on view

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Picking Cotton with Boss Men
Date2007
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Date2022
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Up From
Date2015
canvas tarpaulin, velvet, Georgia clay, wood, rock, metal, thread, rum, and tobacco
On view