#lithographer

𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐬

Will Barnet

Strange Bird

Christian Martin Tegner (Nov. 28, 1803 - 1881) was a Danish painter and lithographer who lived for many years in Trondheim, Norway. He ran a so-called "Cosmorama" in his apartment where one could view dramatic tableaus through little peep holes.

Tegner had studied at the Academy in Copenhagen under J.L. Lund, and was the first person to start a lithography workshop in Norway.

Sargent Claude Johnson was a ceramicist, painter, and lithographer based out of North Beach, San Francisco in the 1930s. Johnson, who was of Black and Cherokee heritage, is remembered for his soul-stirring sculptures and his commitment to creating self-affirming images of Black people. This graceful terracotta figure shows the influence of the Harlem Renaissance and the call for the celebration and integration of African ancestral traditions as expressed by Alain Locke. Johnson said he was “aiming to show the natural beauty and dignity” of African Americans, not to a white audience, but to themselves."

From 1937 to 1939 Johnson worked for the WPA/FAP (The Works Progress Administration/ Federal Art Project) which created work relief for artists during the Great Depression. He created large-scale artworks for the WPA such as the decorated interior of the San Francisco Maritime Museum, among others, some of which can still be seen today.

Like many artists in the Bay Area art scene, Johnson and his contemporaries drew inspiration from non-European art such Indigenous arts of the Americas and the Pacific, in addition to African art. They also looked to artists such as  Diego Rivera, whose figurative techniques and illustration of social issues spoke to new ways of expressing the Black experience.

Are you familiar with any artworks created by other Black artists for the WPA? Let us know in the replies!

In honor of Black History Month, and in conjunction with the exhibition John Edmonds: A Sidelong Glance, we are highlighting contemporary artists in our collection whose work speaks to the complexity and beauty of Black American heritage.

Le texte ci-dessous est l’extrait du livre Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (ASIN: B07BFSKJZV), écrit par Jp Calosse, publié par Parkstone International. Le catalogue raisonné de ses œuvres, publié en 1971 par l’historienne d’art Madeleine Grillaert Dortu, énumère 737 peintures275 aquarelles369 lithographies (y compris les affiches) 4 784 dessins (sans compter les dessins…

French painter and lithographer Henri Fantin-Latour was born on this day in 1836. Fantin-Latour was the most celebrated 19th-century painter of still life flowers, and was also known for his group portraits of Parisian artists and writers.

Here is are three of Fantin-Latour's flower still life paintings from our collection.

Pansies and Daisies. Henri Fantin-Latour, 1880. Oil on canvas.

Still Life: Malmaison Roses. Henri Fantin-Latour, 1872. Oil on canvas.