Sowing

William H. Johnson, Sowing, ca. 1940, oil on burlap, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.1002
Copied William H. Johnson, Sowing, ca. 1940, oil on burlap, 38 1⁄2 x 45 3⁄4 in. (97.8 x 116.2 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.1002

Artwork Details

Title
Sowing
Artist
Date
ca. 1940
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
38 1⁄2 x 45 3⁄4 in. (97.8 x 116.2 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of the Harmon Foundation
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on burlap
Classifications
Subjects
  • African American
  • Animal — donkey
  • Occupation — farm — sowing
  • Figure group — male and female
Object Number
1967.59.1002
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1967.59.1002

Artwork Description

Sowing presents a simple narrative of farm life suggestive of Johnson's upbringing in South Carolina, but the brilliant palette disguises elements of tension. The plow the man grips is stained with red streaks of iron-suffused earth. The woman's hand is tightly clenched as she holds the seed above the soil before releasing it. A ghost moon in the sky hints at things both visible and unseen.

African American Art: Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights Era, and Beyond, 2012

Exhibitions

Media - 1995.22.1 - SAAM-1995.22.1_1 - 65784
African American Art in the 20th Century
Smithsonian American Art Museum
The Smithsonian American Art Museum is home to one of the most significant collections of African American art in the world.