Black American Art

Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859 – 1937) was born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania during the time of slavery. Henry Tanner was a self taught artist who achieved international acclaim. His father Benjamin Tucker Tanner (1835–1923) was a bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME). The first independent black denomination in the United States. His mother Sarah, was an escaped slave who made it north via the Underground Railroad. His sister Halle Tanner Dillon Johnson, was the first woman (of any color) certified to practice medicine in Alabama.

Coming from such a prestigious family legacy its no surprise Henry also inherited talent. Henry knew he wanted to be a painter by the age of thirteen. He took a chance enrolling at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1879. Henry was the first and only black student accepted at the school. It was during that time he developed his style and began gaining notoriety. Although Henry was  acknowledged as a skilled painter he had difficulty selling his work due to the racial climate of that time. 

Henry was selling paintings trying to save for a trip to Europe. In 1891 he made it to Paris. The artistic circles of Paris didn't care about race, all that mattered was talent. Henry had it in spades. By 1895 his work was known throughout Europe. He took inspiration from the Parisian painters and it can be seen in his later work. Aside from brief visits back to the U.S. for art exhibitions Henry spent the rest of his life in Paris.

 

The Banjo lesson is probably Henry's best known painting. It was the first of his paintings that I ever saw. I was moved by the emotion such simple imagery invoked in me. What's depicted is a grandfather teaching his grandson how to play the banjo. To hear it described its ordinary. It's the vibrant yet somber colors and the beautiful detail in their expressions that give this piece so much life. 

It's the ability to capture moments from peoples everyday life on canvas that makes his art so extraordinary. Even now over one hundred years later when I look at a Henry Tanner painting, It feels like glimpsing through a lens back in time. He is one of the originators of the Black American Artist movement. Below are a few of his many paintings. 

Until Next We Speak, Be Well 

Tha One an Only 

Romance Art

Spring is in the air! Its getting warmer outside and the women are wearing less. I don't know if its the birds, the bees, or flowers and trees...but people are sexing! I was biking through the woods yesterday cuz there's a large forest with bike trails behind my house. While riding I caught two different couples sexing in the woods. (Seriously!)

The first couple looked like teenagers and they had their bikes thrown in the bushes so no one would steal them. The second couple were older, much older. I'm talking 40's or early 50's and they were going at it. They were in a clearing that looks like a former camp site that hasn't been used in a long time. There were lots of trees and bushes surrounding the area, you have to go off road from the bike path to get there. Normally I stop in the area to catch my breath and enjoy nature. This time while riding through, I saw this man on his knees, behind a woman on all fours with streaks of white hair in her hair...f**King like drunk bunnies. As I rode by, the woman put her head down so I couldn't see her face and the man just smiled and gave me a slight nod.

The free spirited nature of the old couple reminded me of a girl who got turned on by art. Not just  any art... by a particular artist named Kevin A. Williams. His initials in reverse spell WAK. His art is described by some as black art by others as modern art but by most women as Romance Art. He depicts scenes of love and romance in a masculine way that invokes a certain feeling in the opposite sex. His paintings have been featured on television shows Law & Order, Soul Food and Oprah. 

He's a best-selling author and on a mission to change peoples perspective on art. If you want to know more about him click the link. I used one of his paintings for the "Sexist Science" post. Below are a few more of his more famous pieces.