There was a beautiful full page ad that a New York dealer had placed in the magazine American Art Review of a print by William H. Johnson. Johnson first received attention in 1929 when he won the Harmon Foundation Gold medal. He was a well trained artist having studied at the art school of the National Academy of Design and then in France, where he took up residence in the former studio of James Abbott McNeill Whistler. After his return from France, Johnson resided in Harlem and became part of the Harlem Renaissance culture.
Much of Johnson’s art focused on his roots in South Carolina and his life in Harlem. His work is very colorful and expressive and often 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. His paintings depicted black soldiers engaged in infantry training, ammunition drills, actual battle, and war-related support services. He focused on their heroism as well as the segregation of the armed forces with a combination of seriousness and his signature style of humor.
Training for War by William H. Johnson
Filed under: Art
