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Johnson's style consists of flat, simplified patterns presented in a naïve manner with a touch of humor.

The artist pokes fun at the army's regimentation and discipline.

Pochoir is a stencil technique characterized by crisp lines and brilliant colors.

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William Henry Johnson

Training for War, about 1942

color silkscreen (Pochoir) on paper

11 1/2 x 17 1/2 in.

Gift of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Indianapolis Chapter, and Mr. Kim Anderson and the Estate of Hermine Foch by exchange

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William H. Johnson was born in South Carolina and studied in New York at the school of the National Academy of Design. His teacher Charles Webster Hawthorne raised funds to send Johnson to France to continue his studies. Johnson won the Harmon Foundation Gold Medal in 1929. The Harmon Foundation gave these awards to support the artistic efforts of African Americans. After studying abroad, Johnson set up a studio in Harlem, in New York City, and became part of the culture of the Harlem Renaissance. Johnson spent some time in Denmark, where he married a Danish potter. Upon his return to America, in about 1938, he joined the WPA Federal Art Project. His assignment was a teaching post at the Harlem Community Art Center. Much of Johnson’s art focused on his southern roots and his life in Harlem, which he captured in flat, simplified, colorful forms. His paintings are lively expressionistic views of American life tinged with humor.

After Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and America went to war, Johnson produced numerous paintings and prints that explored the contributions of African Americans to the war effort. Training for War depicts African American soldiers at a training camp. Johnson approached this subject with humor but also touched on the segregation of black soldiers. The uniformity of the figures also suggests how the U.S. Army’s rules and regulations resulted in regimented conformity.

Reference

Richard J. Powell. Homecoming: The Art and Life of William H. Johnson. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, Inc., 1993. ISBN-13: 978-0393311273