Jim

William H. Johnson, Jim, 1930, oil on canvas, mounted on masonite, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.748
William H. Johnson, Jim, 1930, oil on canvas, mounted on masonite, 21 5818 14 in. (54.846.3 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.748

Artwork Details

Title
Jim
Date
1930
Dimensions
21 5818 14 in. (54.846.3 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of the Harmon Foundation
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas, mounted on masonite
Classifications
Subjects
  • African American
  • Portrait male — Johnson, Jim — bust
Object Number
1967.59.748

Artwork Description

William H. Johnson returned home to South Carolina in 1930 after twelve years away. In this portrait of his sixteen-year-old brother, Jim, it is tempting to see an image of “Willie” when he was Jim’s age and setting off on his own. The background, almost equally divided between dark and light pigments, evokes Johnson’s position between two different worlds. He had been teased as a mixed-race child because of his relatively fair skin and wavy hair. When he left Florence, South Carolina, in 1918, he had followed the path of white American artists, training in New York City and traveling to Europe. But the praise he won shortly before he returned to his hometown called attention to his black ancestry once again, transforming Johnson into a symbol of the “New Negro” (Powell, Homecoming: The Art and Life of William H. Johnson, 1991).

Works by this artist (3 items)

Edward Kienholz, Nancy Reddin Kienholz, Sollie 17, 1979-1980, mixed media construction, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2001.58, © 1980, Nancy Reddin Kienholz
Sollie 17
Date1979-1980
mixed media construction
Not on view
Edward Kienholz, Untitled, n.d., encaustic on fiberboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Patricia Colleen McCall, 1982.125
Untitled
Daten.d.
encaustic on fiberboard
Not on view
Edward Kienholz, Nancy Reddin Kienholz, Drawing for Sollie 17, 1980, mixed media construction, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of G & W Investments, 2001.59A-D, © 1980, Nancy Reddin Kienholz
Drawing for Sollie 17
Date1980
mixed media construction
Not on view

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