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 (2 items)

Mary Jackson, Low Basket with Handle, 1999, sweetgrass, pine needles, and palmetto, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Marcia and Alan Docter, 2001.61
Low Basket with Handle
Date1999
sweetgrass, pine needles, and palmetto
Not on view
Mary Jackson, Vase with Handle, 2018, sweetgrass, pine needles, bulrush, and palmetto, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Brenda Erickson in memory of Richard Fryklund, 2018.9, © 2018, Mary A. Jackson
Vase with Handle
Date2018
sweetgrass, pine needles, bulrush, and palmetto
Not on view

More Artworks from the Collection

Robert Hudson, Maquette for Tlingit, 1979, welded steel, assembled and painted, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the General Services Administration, 1980.49.18
Maquette for Tlingit
Date1979
welded steel, assembled and painted
Not on view
Barbara Neijna, Maquette for Right Turn on White, 1978, cut and bent stainless steel on fiberboard base, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the General Services Administration, Art-in-Architecture Program, 1979.159.47
Maquette for Right Turn on White
Date1978
cut and bent stainless steel on fiberboard base
Not on view
William Goodman, Maquette for Solirio, 1973-1974, hammered, welded and painted steel, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the General Services Administration, Art-in-Architecture Program, 1979.159.9
Maquette for Solirio
Date1973-1974
hammered, welded and painted steel
Not on view
Duayne Hatchett, Maquette for Equilateral Six, 1975, welded and painted aluminum on steel base, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the General Services Administration, Art-in-Architecture Program, 1979.159.11
Maquette for Equilateral Six
Date1975
welded and painted aluminum on steel base
Not on view