William Henry Johnson was a painter associated with the Harlem Renaissance. As a young man, he was trained in the European classical style of painting. While in Europe he moved beyond the classical style as modernism became the trending movement. Upon returning to America, Johnson once again transitioned his painting style — this time into the folk-art tradition.

William Henry Johnson was born in Florence, South Carolina in 1901. As part of the Great Migration, he moved to New York City at the age of 17. While working at menial labor jobs, he was able to put himself through art school.

Beginning in 1921, Johnson studied at the prestigious National Academy of Design in New York City. He received instruction that emphasized classical painting, portraiture painting, figure drawing and the use of color in painting.

Like many Black artists of the time, he left for Europe (1926) to seek his fortune. There, he was exposed to the modernist movement. Breaking with tradition, he began to experiment with color and form in new ways that surpassed his classical training. Many of his expressionist paintings from this period focused on landscapes.

While in Europe, Johnson met Holcha Krake, a Danish artist and weaver. They married in 1930 and spent much of the 1930s living in Scandinavia. While there, Johnson became interested in folk-art, in part, because of his exposure to Krake’s philosophy of folk-art and culture.

With war looming over the European continent, Johnson moved back to New York City with his wife in 1938. Upon returning to America, his focus became African American culture. He painted Black life scenes from the urban North to the rural South, often alluding to the Great Migration experience. His subjects included working class people as well as noted historical figures.

At this time, Johnson’s paintings took a dramatic shift toward a folk-art style. He started to utilize simpler contours and flat planes of color. The style was figurative, and Johnson described it as “primitive.” His style shift perplexed many, since it embodied a simplification of style. His paintings were criticized as being crude, and childlike in style. Johnson expressed a desire to create in a way that felt both natural and spiritual that eventually lead to this artistic transformation.

Johnson learned screen-printing while working for the Harlem Community Art Center. This method lent itself to Johnson’s new style of simplified forms, flat planes and bright colors. He often made prints and paintings of the same subject.

William Henry Johnson’s artistic evolution was influenced by his formal education, travels, friendships with fellow artists and love for culture (his own as well as others). Johnson transitioned from a classical to a modernist approach as part of the trending movement of the times. His final style shift to a folk-art style was more personal. Johnson’s artist wife was grounded in the folk-art tradition. Upon returning to America after living in Scandinavia for years, Johnson expressed a desire to portray “his people.” Johnson is most remembered for his style of work during this period. Years of creating and exploring came together in the creation of folk-art portraying the Black community in all aspects of life.