Brian BoscoFinal Presentation

Henry Ossawa Tanner Banjo Lesson 1893 Oil on canvas

In 1983 Henry Ossawa Tanner painted his most notable and famous work in Philadelphia. He was inspired to paint this piece when his teacher encouraged him to paint scenes from everyday life.This painting depicts an elderly black man teaching a young boy how to play the banjo. The warm colors depict the strong emotions that are engulfed in this painting.

Henry Ossawa TannerThe Thankful Poor1894Oil on canvas

The Thankful Poor depicts an elderly man and a young boy being thankful for the food that they have on the table. Tanner again goes for a more realistic approach in this painting. Tanner uses great detail on the lighting and colors to convey a spiritual sense of imagery. Tanner shows true emotion in both the old man and the boy through this piece.

Henry Ossawa Tanner Fishermen at Sea 1913 Oil on canvas

Many of Tanner's works had religious themes incorporated in them, and this is no exception. This painting is depicted from a passage from the Book of Matthew. "But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary" (Matthew 14:24). In the painting, the sea forces the boat so that it is completely vertical. The fishermen are seen as specs compared to the rest of the boat.

Henry Ossawa Tanner Harbor Scene 1876 Oil on Canvas

Tanner's early works consisted of landscape paintings. This is a beautiful scene of a harbor Tanner painted while he was in Atlantic City. Tanner uses a wide variety of colors to depict a lovely looking harbor. He depicts people just doing what they would normally do on a day in the harbor

Henry Ossawa Tanner The Bagpipe Lesson 1892 Oil on Paperboard

Tanner would often spend his time in France. The bagpipes were very common in France, so he decided to paint a wonderful picture on the topic. Originally this painting was just of a boy practicing the bagpipe, but the for final version, Tanner added a teacher and two other people. He got rid of the boy completely. He used vivid colors and unique brush styles to capture the realism of this beautifully crafted scene.

Jacob Lawrence And the migrants kept coming 1940 Casein tempera on hardboard

Jacob Lawrence created a series of paintings known as the Migration Series. Each of these paintings depicts African Americans during the Great Migration that took place during World War I. The railroad symbolizes the start of their journey from the south to the north of the United Sates. Lawrence was inspired by Mexican muralists he had seen in the past and it really shows in this piece.

Jacob Lawrence The migrants arrived in great numbers 1940 Casein tempera on hardboard

This next piece from the Migration series depicts many African American families traveling to the North by walking through the fields. The colors in this piece are bright and fun to look at. Some African Americans that have made this trip to the north would often see themselves as someone in the canvas.

Jacob Lawrence They were very poor 1940 Casein tempera on hardboard

Another part of the Migration series is this picture depicting two African Americans eating small portions of food. This was painted during the time of war. War had doubled the cost of food, which made life even harder for the poor. This painting shows the realistic ways of what people had to go through in that dark time of the world.

Jacob Lawrence The Wedding 1948 Tempera on gessoed Panel

Jacob once said "For me, the most important function of art is observation." He was inspired by this and he started panting his experiences from everyday life in Harlem. In this piece he depicts a couple getting married in a beautifully painted church. This piece shows the joy and seriousness of a marriage ceremony. His use of colors really bring the composition of the whole piece together.

Jacob Lawrence Self Portrait 1977 Gouache on Paper

While Jacob was in Seattle, Washington, he decided to paint a portrait of himself. He uses specific colors to further emphasize his surroundings. He paints himself with paintbrushes, paintings in the background, and other varies tools that he uses while painting. His inviting smile will make you feel at home while looking at this piece.

Henry Ossawa Tanner and Jacob Lawrence are both magnificent painters. They are two of the most popular and well known African American artists of their own centuries. Tanner was from 1859-1937 while Lawrence was from 1917-2000. Even though they painted artwork a few years apart, they have their own ways of painting artwork. However why would I want to put these two artist with their own unique styles of painting together?

The reason I put these artists together is because they both will usually paint objects, landscapes, or just people from the real world. They paint from their life experiences or simply what they see right in front of them. They would also have messages in their paintings as well. The paintings also have some religious symbolism or just messages about life. They would usually paint what African Americans went through during the early years of our country. They would show the hardships of traveling to the north, what it was like living as the poor, or simply showing someone how to play an instrument.

I think that Tanner and Lawrence are two of the best African American artists of all time. They both really changed the world with their artwork and have inspired so many people over the years. They both have their own unique styles of painting, but they have so much in common with each other. I hope that there is more appreciation for these two artists in the future. They really need to be recognized as some of the best African American artists ever. They are both good examples to African Americans everywhere.