"Portrait of the Artist's Mother," Henry Ossawa Tanner, 1897.

Tanner (1859-1937) was the first Black American artist to win international fame and acclaim, & they were well-deserved.

The son of an AME bishop, Tanner was born & raised in Pittsburgh. He received artistic education at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, where he was trained by Thomas Eakins, & worked with Robert Henri, a founder of the Ashcan School of painting, as well as others, who all remained his lifelong friends.

Finding racism and prejudice at home in the US, Tanner moved to Europe where he found acceptance, & where he lived the rest of his life, except for a few visits home.

Sarah Elizabeth Tanner (1840-1914) was born in Winchester, VA, but details of her early life are unclear; she may have been born to free people, or born into slavery and escaped via the Underground Railroad. She did become a respected missionary and religious worker, and raised seven children who all became successes in one way or another.

The portrait seems a riff on Whistler's famous painting of his mother, but here Tanner presents a warmer tone, although to me she looks sad.

Happy Portrait Monday, and Happy Black History Month!

#Art #HenryOssawaTanner #PortraitMonday #BlackHistoryMonth #BlackArtists #WomenInArt #AmericanRealism

"Sleigh Ride," attributed to Winslow Homer, c. 1890-95.

The great American artist Winslow Homer (1836-1910) was known mostly for his sea paintings, but he did other works as well, which may include this one. It was found in his studio after he died, and there's no signature, but it does seem to be his style. Either it was a work he was dissatisfied with, or a practice piece, or maybe a work done by someone else and given to him....we may never know.

But...on its own, it's a good painting. The snowy hillside, the easily-missed sleigh in the middle distance, and the dark overcast sky with just the merest hint of a gap for sun...makes you wonder what's going on. If the sky's that dark, it's likely going to storm; what are they doing out? Is it an emergency? Again, we may never know.

But a perfect painting for winter. Maybe it needs to be on a Christmas card?

From the Clark, Williamstown, MA.

#Art #WinslowHomer #AmericanRealism #MaybeNotWinslowHomer #Unsigned #Winter