Description
In the background of this painting, Sunday suits and best dresses evoke a Baptist congregation in a rural community. Nearer the viewer, however, the strong profiles, closed eyes, and exaggerated hands and feet recall African art and older rituals of faith. The preacher and congregants stand in a creek or a pond to symbolize crossing the River Jordan into a new life. This symbolism applied as well to the dramatic change in William H. Johnson’s career when he returned to America in 1938. He abandoned his European painting styles and subjects and vowed to paint the authentic spirit of “his own people.”
Image
Oil On Burlap
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation
Record Contributed By
Smithsonian American Art MuseumRecord Harvested From
Smithsonian InstitutionKeywords
- African American
- African Americans
- Baptism
- Ceremony
- Ethnic
- Ethnicity
- Figure Group
- Johnson, William H
- Religion
- Rites And Ceremonies