William H. Johnson

Happy Birthday William H. Johnson!! This African American Folk Artist was born in 1901. He trained at the National Academy of Arts under Charles Hawthorne. Following his schooling, he left for Europe to paint and there met his wife, a textile designer. After a time in Paris, Denmark, and later North Africa, Johnson returned to America to paint his impressions of the South. He used his rather primitive style to express various aspects of Southern living such as Going to Church pictured below. His bright colors and simple shapes depicted a simple rural life amidst urban settings, combining the deep South with Harlem of the early 1900s.