"Henry Ossawa Tanner"(June 21,1859-May25,1937)

Was an African American artist best known for his style of painting.He was the first African American painter to gain international acclaim.In 1879 Henry enrolled at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia.His decision to attend the school came at an exciting time in the history of artistic institutional training.Art academies had long relied notions study devoted almost entirely to plaster cast studies and anatomy lectures.This changed drastically with the addition Thomas Eakins as "Professor of Drawing and Painting"to the Pennsylvania Academy.Thomas encouraged new methods such as study from live models,direct discussion of anatomy in male female classes,and dissections of cadavers to further familiarity and understanding of the human body.Thomas progressive views and ability to excite and inspire his students would have a profound effect on Henry.He proved to be one of Thomas favorite students;two decades after Henry left the Academy Thomas painted his portrait,making him one of handful of students to be so honored.At the Academy Henry befriended artists with whom he would keep in contact throughout the rest of his life,most notable of these being Robert Henri,one of the Ashcan School.During a a reactively short time at the Academy,Henry developed a through knowledge of anatomy and ability to transfer his understanding of the weight and structure of the human figure to the canvas.Henry non-confrontational personality and preference for subtle expression in his work seem to belie his difficulties,but his life was not without struggle.Although he gained confidence as an artist and began to sell his work racism was a prevalent condition in Philadelphia,as massive numbers of African American left the rural South and settled in Northern urban centers.Although painting became therapeutic source of release for him,lack of acceptance was painful.In his his autobiography The Story of an Artist's Life describes the burden of race:I was extremely timid and to be made to feel that i was not wanted,although in a place where i had every right to be,even months afterwards caused me sometimes,weeks of pain.Every time any one of these disagreeable incidents came into my mind,my heart sank,and i was anew tortured by the though of what i had endured,almost as much as the incident itself.In an attempt to gain artistic acceptance,Henry left America for France in the winter of 1891.Except for occasional brief returns home,he would spend the rest of his life there.After an unsuccessful attempt at opening a photography studio in Atlanta and teaching drawing at Clark Atlanta University he traveled to France in 1891 to the Academie Julian,and joined the American Art Student Club of Paris.Paris was a welcome escape for Henry;within French art circles the issue of race mattered little.He acclimated quickly to Parisian life.In Paris he was introduce to many new artworks that would affect the way in which he painted.At the Louvre,Henry encountered and studied the works of Gustave Courbet,Jean-Baptise Chardin and Louis Le Nain.These artists had painted scenes of ordinary people in their enviorment and the effect in Henry work is noticeable.One example is the striking similarity between Henry's "The Young Sabot Maker"(1895) and Gustave The Stonebrokers"Both paintings explore the them of apprenticeship and menial labor.He studied under renowned artists such as Jean Joseph Benjamin Constant and Jean-Paul Laurens.With their guidance he began to make a name for himself .His painting entitled "Daniel in the Lions Den,"was acceptance into the 1896 Salon.Later that year he painted "The Resurrection of Lazarus."The critical praise for this piece solidified Henry position in the artistic elite and heralded the future direction of his paintings,to mostly biblical themes.This painting would eventually lead to Henry first trip to the Middle east.Upon seeing "The Resurrection of Lazarus,"art critic Rodman Wanamaker offered to cover an all expenses-paid trip for Henry to the middle east.Rodman felt that any serious painter of biblical scenes needed to see this environment firsthand and that a painter of Henry caliber was well the worth the investment.He quickly accepted the offer.Before the next Salon opened,Henry set forth for Palestine.Explorations of various mosques and biblical sites as well as characters studies of the local population allowed Henry to further his artistic training.His paintings developed a powerful air of mystique and spirituality.Henry was the first artist to study the middle east in person.Since the 1830s,a growing interest Orientalism had been growing in Europe.Artist such as Eugene. Delacroix and later Henri Matisse made such tours to capitalize on this curiosity.In 1893  on a short return to visit the United States,Henry painted his most famous work,The Banjo Lesson in Philadelphia.The painting shows an elderly black man teaching what is assumed to be his grandson how to play the banjo.This deceptively simple-looking work explores several important themes.Blacks had long been stereotyped as entainersmanifestration of his situation in transition between two worlds,his American past and his new found home in France.Henry is often regarded as a realist painter,focusing on accurate depictions of subjects.While his early works, such as "The Banjo Lesson"were concerned with everyday life as an African American,Henry later paintings focused mainly on the religious subjects for which he is now best known.It is likely that his father,a minister in the African Methodist Church,was a formative influence in this direction.Henry body of work is not limited to one specific approach to painting.His works vary from meticulous attention to detail in some paintings to loose,expressive brushstrokes in others.Often both methods are employed simultaneously.The combination of these two techniques makes for a masterful balance of skillful precision and powerful expression.Henry was also interested in the effects that could have in in a painting.Many of his paintings accentuate a specific area of the color spectrum.Warmer compositions such as "The Resurrection of Lazarus"(1896) and "The Annunciation (1898) exude the intensity and fire of religious moments.They describe the elation of transcendence between the divine and humanity.Other paintings emphasize cooler,blue hues.Works such as "The Good Shepard"(1903) and "Return of the Holy Women"(1904) evoke a feeling of sober religiosity and introspection.Henry often experimented with the importance of light in a composition.The source and intensity of light and shadow in his paintings create a physical, almost tangible space and atmosphere while adding emotion and mood to the environment.During World War 1,Henry worked for the Red Cross Public Information Department,at which time he also painted from the front lines of the war.Several of his paintings were purchased by Atlanta art collector J.J.Haverty,who founded Haverty Furniture Co.and was instrumental in establishing the High Museum of Art.Henry "Etaples Fisher Folk"is among several paintings from the Haverty collection in the High Museum's permanent collection.Henry died in Paris France.