Mount Calvary, 1944
William H. Johnson

The scene is simple and graphic. The background, timeless and plain. The figures wear contemporary dress. In this crucifixion scene, there is no attempt at historical accuracy. We know about these people from the Gospel accounts of course, but here we feel for them. One woman, it may be Mary, Jesus’ mother, is gazing into his face. Another is kneeling at his feet, overwhelmed. More friends – all women – stand in dumb horror. Is one thief overcome with remorse? One hiding his face away? In Jesus’ last moments, the artist has drawn his subjects into a circle of relationships, conveying a world of meaning and emotion.

The scene was painted in 1944 by African American artist William H. Johnson. Born in poverty in South Carolina, he moved to New York aged 17, taking a variety of jobs to save enough money to go to the prestigious National Academy of Design. After spending time in France and Denmark, where he married the artist Holcha Krake, he returned to Greenwich Village at the height of the Harlem Renaissance. Here he achieved considerable success. However, following his wife’s death in 1944, his physical and mental health declined dramatically. He was not able to paint, and died in the state hospital on Long Island, New York. Today, Johnson is considered one of the most important African American artists of his generation.

Art in Focus is curated by Meryl Doney

©Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation

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This is from an article published in the Issue 2 – 2025 edition of Reform

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