1/13/2023 0 Comments Slave 1 concept artThe brothers wear matching trouser suits, fashionable for male children at the time. Accompanying them is the family dog, who firmly grasps a bird captured on their outdoor excursion. In this painting, the three Westwood brothers have just come inside with freshly gathered flowers and cherries. More than 80 portraits have now been attributed to Johnson. Beginning in the late 1700s, Johnson began to receive portrait commissions from prominent Baltimore-area families, including the Westwood family depicted here. In 17, Johnson advertised his painting practice in local newspapers, describing himself as a “self-taught genius.” Some scholars have suggested that Johnson was influenced by the Peale family of painters in Baltimore, particularly Charles Peale Polk. A Baltimore County record from 1782 lists Johnson as an apprentice to a local blacksmith and states that he was to be freed within two years. The son of an enslaved black woman and a white man, Johnson was born into slavery around 1763. Joshua Johnson is America’s earliest-known professional African American artist. 1807, oil on canvas, Gift of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, 1959.11.1 Joshua Johnson, The Westwood Children, c. Collection Highlights: African American Artists
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |