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3-FWJ
WM. H. Johnson
RELIGIOUS PAINTINGS

Commentary by David C. Driskell
Chairman, Art Department
Fisk University
Nashville, Tennessee 37203

3-FW - 1, DESCENT FROM THE CROSS
William H. Johnson was one of the first Afro-American Artists who recognized the importance of portraying the religious experience through the use of black themes. As early as the 1930's he became interested in the portrayal of Judo-Christian themes by using his own people as subject matter. In "DESCENT FROM THE CROSS", the artist has relied on traditional placement of figures in relation to the stylization of biblical subject. The halo becomes a symbol which is used to give saintly qualities just as is shown in Medieval art. He has simplified his form to the extent that the design concept is one which registers flat form, somewhat like that of the Byzantine masters.

3-FWJ - 2, DEPOSITION
In this traditional theme a contemporary setting has been invented by the artist which relates to the life styles of his own people during the 20th century. Brightly colored prints are worn by Mary, the mother of Christ, and the two Marys who accompany her to remove the body from the cross and prepare it for proper burial. The artist creates a three-dimensional effect in the canvas even though he has painted his subjects flatly by placing objects behind each other, as in the case of Mary behind the body of the dead Christ and the three crosses in the background with colors that give them a sense of death.

3-FWJ - 3, SATAN ON THE MOUNT
This particular work is made into a contemporary theme again by using the same identification with clothing that is worn in the 20th century. Feeling for being on a high plane is created by the juxtaposition of colors. Green, as painted into the foreground, indicates that the figures are on a high plane. The dark silhouette of negative space around the figures give a sense of depth beyond and below this green plane. The sky in the background provides an echo for the figures which are silhouetted against it. Sata is represented as a part of the darkness with an almost minimal concept of personality. Christ moves forward to proclaim himself master and refuses the offer which Satan makes.

3-FWJ - 4, MOUNT CALVARY
The artist gives us a sense of belonging to the total sense of crucifixion in a manner reminiscent of that chosen by Renaissance artists. The traditional concept of Mount Calvary is adhered to in this composition with the figure of Mary, the mother of Christ, in the foreground lamenting the fate of her son.

3-FWJ - 5, HOLY MOTHER
Johnson has taken the traditional theme Madonna and Child and placed it in the countryside where the trees grow, where the mountains are purple and where there is a sense of serenity and purity in connection with this important event. The heavy monumental-like structure of the tree looming over the head of Mary, the mother of Christ, becomes a symbol of life everlasting since it takes on the qualities of an evergreen. His simplification of basic form in composition reduce colors to meaningful statements which point symbolically to the event of the birth of Christ.