Black History Month Thread #7: "Did You Know?" (Hillary and Henry O.)

[Hissyspit]

Every day for the rest of February, I am posting some form of interesting information regarding African American history.

First Artwork by African American in White House

In 1998, achieving First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton's two-year goal of securing the work of a famed Black-American artist for the White House, a Henry O. Tanner painting, Sand Dunes at Sunset, Atlantic City, 1885, was "bought for $100,000 by the White House Endowment Fund." It is the first work of visual art by an African American artist to hang in the White House, installed in the Green Room (also home to a work by Georgia O'Keeffe).

"Tanner, who was born in 1859, the year John Brown was hanged, was given the middle name Ossawa for Osawatomie, the Kansas town where Brown was involved in a skirmish."

"After becoming ill working in the mill where his father worked, Tanner entered the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in 1879, studying under the realist Thomas Eakins. Tanner desired to work in Europe where there was 'less racial intolerance,' and was able to do so in 1891. He found great success, worked in the Red Cross during World War I, and died in Paris in 1937."

Later African American artists, during the 'Harlem Renaisssance' for instance, would reject European classicism and call for a more 'pure' style of African American visual culture.

Tanner believed that (judeo-Christian) stories could illustrate the struggles and hopes of contemporary African Americans. He may have depicted the resurrection of Lazarus (in a painting in 1896) because many black preachers made a connection between the story's themes of... rebirth and the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863... - Marilyn Stokstad, University of Kansas

H. O. Tanner Sand Dunes at Sunset, Atlantic City c. 1885;
White House Collection



Thomas Eakins Portrait of Henry O. Tanner, 1897; The Hyde Collection

SOURCES:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/whtour/green-paintings.html
Jet Magazine, 18 November 1998
"Art History" rev. 2nd ed., Marilyn Stokstad, Pearson-Prentice Hall, NY; 2005
http://faculty.washington.edu/qtaylor/aa_Vignettes/tanner_henr_ossawa.htm
www.wikipedia.com

[babylonsister]

1. Thank you for the valuable history lesson!

:thumbsup:

[Hissyspit]

2. Thanks, babylonsister. here's something else interesting:

The first successful female African American sculptor: Edmonia Lewis. She also settled in Europe, Rome specifically.

Look how cool she dressed!

[babylonsister]

8. Is that a 'fez' on her head? Different (Turkish) drummer? nt

[Hissyspit]

3. Oops. Forget. Here's yesterday's post:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=487550&mesg_id=487550

[Hissyspit]

4. bedtime kick n/t

[NMMNG]

5. That's a beautiful painting

I can't believe it took that long to get artwork by an AA artist in the White House.

Wait a minute...yes I can. :eyes:


Thanks for another great post Hissyspit. :thumbsup:

[Hissyspit]

6. kick for the wake-up crowd

I had some Quaker Essentials Oat Bran, some soy milk and a glass of orange juice myself. Yum. No coffee, yet.

[MrBenchley]

7. Thanks!

Here's some more on Tanner, with other examples of his work....

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/ihas/icon/tanner.html

[Hissyspit]

9. one more kick before the next installment

which I will post in a few hours or else I will fall asleep/take a nap and then it will be late tonight!