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
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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
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
Works by this artist (1036 items)
Exhibitions
The Smithsonian American Art Museum is home to one of the most significant collections of African American art in the world.