Sargent Claude Johnson

Abstract

"Sargent Claude Johnson (1888-1967) was the first Black modernist on the West Coast to gain national acclaim. His artistic practice, forged in California, drew from a range of international influences, including traditional and contemporary arts of Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America, particularly Mexican modernism and Indigenous pottery techniques. Spanning the Black Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, Johnson's career was devoted to sensitive, ennobling portrayals of people of color. Though best known as a sculptor, he worked expertly in a broad range of media, from painting and printmaking to enamelwork and ceramics, each illuminating his multifaceted identity as an artist. In this catalogue, leading scholars examine Johnson's artistic evolution and offer fresh perspectives on his work. From sculptures of underrepresented subjects to majestic architectural commissions, including a celebrated mural reproduced in lavish gatefold format, the book positions Johnson's oeuvre within an expansive framework of global modernism." -- Provided by publisher.

Contents

Introduction / John P. Bowles, Jacqueline Francis, and Dennis Carr -- Divine love : Sargent Johnson's orphanhood / Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw -- Sargent Johnson's globalism / John P. Bowles, Jacqueline Francis, and Dennis Carr -- On the job : the Bay Area commissions / Jacqueline Francis -- The California School for the Bline commission / Dennis Carr -- The public artworks at Aquatic Park / John P. Bowles -- The George Washington High School athletics mural / Dennis Carr -- Sargent Johnson's material experiments / Dennis Carr.