"Country Doctor (Night Call)," Horace Pippin, 1935.

I've talked about Pippin (1888-1946) before; he was a self-taught Black American artist who took up art as a sort of therapy after being injured in WWI. He painted scenes of everyday Black American life, and what he lacked in formal training, he made up for with passion, depth, a remarkable eye for design, and a flair for storytelling and depicting people's lives.

Here we have a scene in a wooded area in the midst of a snowstorm....but a man is slowly leading a horse, pulling a wagon, through the storm. It's not just a mere depiction of a winter scene, but a tribute to the resilience and dedication of a rural doctor, trudging through the storm to someone in need.

Pippin's most popular work are his depictions of Black life, many drawn from his childhood. He also did religious paintings and some historical paintings, mostly of his WWI experiences, but also a noted depiction of John Brown going to his execution, based on descriptions from his grandmother, who witnessed it. I find his work delightful.

From the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.

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"The Blue Tiger," Horace Pippin, c. 1933-37.

Pippin (1888-1946) was a self-taught Black American artist who took up painting after losing an arm in WWI.

While he never really subscribed to any school of art, he's generally credited as a Modernist, although I generally regard him as a Naive, but in the best way, as someone whose style developed from his personal passions rather than an academy.

His work often depicted Black American domestic life, but also depicted historic scenes (his first known painting is of his last memories of the battlefield; another notable painting is of John Brown going to his execution), religious themes, and various symbolic works.

At the time, a blue tiger was a symbol for something unattainable, and a bear represented the wilderness. But many feel that this painting is a symbol of racial conflict. Sadly we have nothing from the artist himself to hint at his intention, but there are other paintings that directly address racism and prejudice.

From the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

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"Harmonizing," Horace Pippin, 1944.

Pippin (1888-1946) was a self-taught artist. He took up painting in 1920, partly to help his arm recover from a serious wound suffered in WWI. He painted scenes of everyday Black American life, as well as scenes illustrating slavery, black history, and some allegorical paintings addressing racism.

There's a sweet innocence in the subject matter here; he lovingly depicts the four youths here singing on a street corner (one was his stepson). But the sweetness doesn't overwhelm the bold colors. And the presence of the steeple hints, at least to me, that they're singing a hymn, perhaps practicing for a performance at church, giving this nice scene a spiritual element.

Pippin died relatively young, but unlike so many other Black artists, he achieved fame and recognition in his lifetime, where he was hailed as one of the great folk artists of America.

From the Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH.

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Back to School

School Studies, oil on canvas, 1944, Horace Pippin

Horace Pippin was a self taught American artist born in Pennsylvania (1888-1946)

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