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Catalog Data

Artist:
William H. Johnson, born Florence, SC 1901-died Central Islip, NY 1970  Search this
Medium:
oil on plywood
Dimensions:
37 3/4 x 49 1/4 in. (95.9 x 125.1 cm.)
Type:
Painting
Date:
ca. 1942
Luce Center Label:
Pearl Harbor inspired two government-sponsored art exhibitions in 1942, for which William H. Johnson painted scenes of African Americans involved in the war effort. Soldiers Training contrasts the patriotism of black enlistees with the military’s segregationist policies. Black soldiers served in their own units, “black” blood was kept separate from “white,” and recruits took on the most menial jobs at Army bases and aboard ships. Johnson may have painted this scene based on reports of the “Buffalo Soldiers” who were training at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. Set in a desolate camp ringed by mountains, Soldiers Training suggests the isolation that black soldiers experienced among hundreds of thousands of men and women committed to winning the war.
Topic:
Figure group\male  Search this
African American  Search this
History\United States\World War II  Search this
Occupation\military\soldier  Search this
Object\other\flag  Search this
Object\weapon\gun  Search this
Credit Line:
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation
Object number:
1967.59.582
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
See more items in:
Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
Department:
Painting and Sculpture
On View:
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center, 4th Floor, 32A
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center, 4th Floor
Data Source:
Smithsonian American Art Museum
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/vk7c066b948-bd11-4a71-8a30-f77116c324f9
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:saam_1967.59.582