William Henry Johnson

William Henry Johnson was an African American expressionist painter.  He was born on March 18, 1901 in Florence, South Carolina to mother Alice Smoot Johnson (known as “Mom Alice” or “Aunt Alice”) and father Henry Johnson.  William H. Johnson was the oldest of five children: Lacy, Lucy, James, and Lillian.  Johnson spent his childhood helping out his family, finding a joy for painting, and attending rural grade schools in Florence.¹

I can create the illusion of depth in an interior space by drawing 3 converging lines that show where the walls and floor meet.

I can draw an interior space and make it look 3 Dimensional by using Vanishing Points and converging Lines and the rules of 1 point linear perspective.

I can create the feeling of light and shadow in an interior space by applying three shades of value to the different surfaces to show highlight, mid-tone, and shadow.

I can show objects in the space of the room by overlapping the horizontal and orthogonal lines and drawing objects on the floor and

I can draw tables and chairs by drawing horizontal ovals and trapezoids to represent the surface tops and extending vertical legs down from to the floor.

I can represent objects on the table’s surface by drawing the objects overlapping the top horizontal line of the table shape.

I can create the texture and look of wood by creating a series of striped patterns.

I can create the visual interest in an interior scene by adding details such as windows, curtains, and wallpaper patterns on the walls.

I can represent people in the scene by drawing the shapes of the figure’s clothing and placing the figures in the chairs and behind the tables.

I can assess, refine, and evaluate my drawings by comparing them to the components listed in the project rubric and adding attributes that are missing or need more refining.

Questions to Consider

What are some of the distinguishing features of Johnson’s paintings?

What symbols, images, or themes does Johnson use a repeatedly?

What are the different parts of his compositions and scenes?

What themes or ideas do you think are important to Johnson?

Can you list the various components of his composition?

How would you prioritize the different images you gathered?

How would you organize elements within a composition to create a story or theme?

What way would you design a story or a theme using the images you gathered?

How do the skills developed in the previous projects help develop the new illustration?

How would you organize the various elements so that all the items make a balanced whole?

How would you apply the knowledge you gained about the subject to develop a website?

In this project you are to create a series of portrait drawings of a person sitting in a chair drawing a person from your family in a kitchen chair or similar chairs as found in William H. Johnson’s work. Bellow are a series of portrait drawing by students, a series of common kitchen chairs, and s series of fashion flats that depict various articles of clothing. In this project you will study the proportion of the face, the perspective of a common wooden chair, and the structure of a shirt and body. You will be shown how to represent a chair in three dimensions using the principles of perspective outlined in this lesson.

I can assess, refine, and evaluate my drawings by comparing them to the components listed in the project rubric and adding attributes that are missing or need more refining.

Articles

Johnson, William Henry (1901-1970)
Biography, related references.

Johnson, Williams Henry 
Florence County Museum, South Carolina.

Art and Life of William H. Johnson:
A Guide for Teachers.

Sources:

Sources:
Jackson, Joelle, University of Washington, Seattle, http://www.blackpast.org/aah/mcnair-ronald-e-1950-1986

¹ Brittany Rose Rogers, Johnson, William Henry (1901-1970), University of Washington, Seattle, http://www.blackpast.org/aah/johnson-william-henry-1901-1970

http://www.flocomuseum.org/about-william-h-johnson/william-h-johnson-biography-p1/
http://www.scnow.com/news/local/article_a8b31b8e-0b87-11e3-b928-0019bb30f31a.html

Rodgers, Britany Rose, University of Washington, blackpast.org

Art and Life of William H. Johnson: A Guide for Teachers, http://americanart.si.edu/education/classroom/help/bio/

Rogers, Brittany Rose, Johnson, William Henry (1901-1970), University of Washington, Seattle, http://www.blackpast.org/aah/johnson-william-henry-1901-1970

http://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artist/?StartRow=1&ID=2486&skip=1&CFID=1498980&CFTOKEN=86314875