William H. Johnson
William H. Johnson was an influential African American artist born on March 18, 1901, in Florence, South Carolina. He faced challenges from an early age, including societal stigma and limited opportunities due to racial segregation, which shaped his formative years. Johnson's artistic journey began at an all-black elementary school, leading him to pursue formal training at the School of the National Academy of Design in New York. His time in Paris marked a significant period in his career, during which he created expressive works and held his first solo exhibit.
Upon returning to the United States, Johnson shifted his focus to depict the African American experience, utilizing vibrant colors and simplified forms to celebrate both urban and rural life. His notable works, such as "Street Life—Harlem" and "Going to Church," reflect a deep engagement with the culture and struggles of African Americans. However, his life took a tragic turn after the death of his wife in 1944 and subsequent mental health challenges that led to his hospitalization. Despite these hardships, Johnson’s legacy as a pioneering modernist artist endures, contributing significantly to both African American and American art in the early twentieth century.
On this Page
Subject Terms
William H. Johnson
Artist
- Born: March 18, 1901
- Birthplace: Florence, South Carolina
- Died: April 13, 1970
- Place of death: Central Islip, Long Island, New York
Johnson is best known for an innovative artistic style that used flat and simple shapes to depict his figures. His work depicted African American life and culture in Harlem and the rural South.
Early Life
William Henry Johnson was born March 18, 1901, in Florence, South Carolina, to Henry Johnson and Alice Smoot Johnson. When Johnson was a child, rumors spread that his birth father was a white man because Johnson had fairer skin than his siblings. It is unknown whether these rumors were true, but growing up in a community that regarded him as an illegitimate child of a white man profoundly affected him. The city of Florence was segregated and opportunities were sparse for African Americans.
As the eldest child, Johnson helped care for his siblings. He also worked at the Florence train station and the Young Men’s Christian Association to help provide for the family. Johnson attended Wilson School, an all-black elementary school, where he was exposed to sketching and became particularly fond of it.
In 1918, Johnson left Florence for were chosen in hopes of a better life. He began working in a number of manual and service jobs, including as a hotel porter, a cook, and a stevedore. He used his earnings to pay for room and board and sent the remaining money to his family in South Carolina.
In 1921, Johnson was accepted into the School of the National Academy of Design, where he excelled and gained the respect of Professor Charles W. Hawthorne. Hawthorne raised money for Johnson to travel to Paris and study for a year in hopes that Johnson would have more success in a place where racial discrimination was less prevalent.
Life’s Work
While in Paris, Johnson had his first solo exhibit in 1927. He worked in an expressionistic style, painting still lifes, landscapes, and cityscapes such as Vielle Maison in 1927. He returned to the United States in 1929 and received the Harmon Foundation Award. The Harmon Foundation included Johnson’s work in multiple exhibits from 1929 to 1933.
In 1930, Johnson visited his family in Florence, where he painted scenes of the town and his younger siblings. These images, such as Jacobia Hotel (1930), reflect his desire to capture the essence of the local community. Johnson returned to Europe in the summer of 1931 and married Holcha Krake, a textile artist from Denmark.
While living abroad, Johnson continued to create works of landscape and portraiture. He participated in solo and group exhibitions and sold enough paintings to live comfortably. Johnson remained abroad until 1938, when he and his wife returned to the United States to escape the growing power of Nazi Germany.
When Johnson arrived in New York, he began to exclusively paint scenes of African American life in Harlem and the South. He also began to develop a different artistic style. He used bright colors and simple shapes to create flat, stylized paintings that depicted African American life. Johnson captured the cosmopolitan life style of Harlem in his works Street Life—Harlem (c. 1939-1940) and Street Musicians (c. 1939-1940). Works such as Going to Church (c. 1940-1941) depict the humble lives of rural African Americans.
In 1944, Johnson’s wife died of breast cancer and his life began to decline. Johnson behaved erratically when he returned to Europe in 1946. His family and friends began to distance themselves from him. Johnson was arrested for vagrancy in Oslo, Norway, when he was found living in a makeshift home. He was hospitalized and received a diagnosis of paresis, induced by syphilis. The disease had destroyed his mental capacity as well as some of his motor skills. The U.S. Embassy decided it was in Johnson’s best interests to send him back to the United States. He was admitted to New York’s Central Islip State Hospital, a mental health facility, where he remained until he died on April 13, 1970.
Significance
Johnson was one of the greatest African American artists of the twentieth century. He developed a unique modernist style of art that used bold shapes and colors to represent African American life and culture. His works of art explored the lives of African Americans in Harlem as well as in the rural South. Johnson’s work contributed not only to the development of African American art, but also to American art as a whole during the early twentieth century.
Bibliography
Britton, Crystal. African American Art: The Long Struggle. New York: Todtri, 1996. A general history on African American art with descriptions of pivotal African American artists and their work. A discussion of Johnson is included.
Everett, Gwen. Li’l Sis and Uncle Willie. Washington, D.C.: National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 1991. A children’s book based on the life of Johnson and illustrated with his paintings.
Powell, Richard J. Homecoming: The Art and Life of William H. Johnson. Washington, D.C.: National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 1991. One of the most detailed sources of information on Johnson. Includes many paintings normally omitted from discussion on Johnson.
Rodgers, Kenneth G. William H. Johnson: Revisiting an African American Modernist. Durham, N.C.: North Carolina Central University Art Museum, 2006. Biography published in conjunction with an exhibition of Johnson’s work in 2006.