Blind Singer

William Henry Johnson (1901-1970)
Blind Singer, ca. 1940
Silkscreen
Prints & Photographs Division
Gift of the Harmon Foundation, ca. 1970 (151.10)
LC-USZC4-1782

William H. Johnson arrived in Harlem in 1918 from Florence, South Carolina, at the onset of the Harlem Renaissance. Considered a major American artist, he attended the National Academy of Arts and studied under Charles Hawthorne. After graduation Johnson left New York to paint in Europe. Known primarily for his narrative, expressive style and the intense colors in his works, Johnson's work vividly depicts the lifestyles of African Americans in the first half of the twentieth century.