Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a tempera print by William Johnson. It dates from 1940 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art. Created circa 1940, this work by William H.
About this work
Overview
The composition features two figures rendered in simplified, bold outlines against a pale blue field, their clothing rendered in vivid primary hues.
Created circa 1940, this work by William H. Johnson combines a screenprint base with selective tempera applications. The composition features two figures rendered in simplified, bold outlines against a pale blue field, their clothing rendered in vivid primary hues. The piece exemplifies Johnson’s mid‑career interest in merging graphic print techniques with painterly color, producing a scene that is both immediate and stylized.
Subject & Meaning
The image presents a pair of standing figures. The left figure, dressed in a blue suit with a dark green hat and red tie, holds a small yellow object, while the right figure, wearing a bright yellow hat, orange shirt, and green trousers, strums a long‑necked guitar with a red body. The straightforward, almost schematic faces and the intimate proximity of the subjects suggest a casual, everyday interaction, hinting at themes of music, community, and shared experience.
Technique & Style
Johnson employed a screenprint process as the structural foundation, then added tempera pigment to accentuate color fields and outlines. The flat, unmodulated areas of color and the blocky, graphic shapes recall both modernist printmaking and folk art motifs. Strong contour lines define the figures, while the limited palette of saturated reds, blues, yellows, and greens creates a lively visual rhythm reminiscent of early twentieth‑century illustration.
History & Provenance
Born in South Carolina in 1901, Johnson studied at the National Academy of Design before spending years in France and Scandinavia, where he absorbed modernist and folk traditions. Returning to the United States in 1938, he taught at the Harlem Community Art Center, a period that saw him integrate his European influences with African‑American cultural subjects. The work reflects this synthesis, produced shortly after his repatriation and before his later, more somber paintings.
Artist & collection
Artist
William Henry Johnson (March 18, 1901 – April 13, 1970) was an American painter. Born in Florence, South Carolina, he became a student at the National Academy of Design in New York City, working with Charles Webster…
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