Henry Ossawa Tanner

Every post here is by Henry Ossawa Tanner.

Erisava Staff 2d ago

Moonlight, Walls of Tangiers by Henry Ossawa Tanner, 1913

Moonlight, Walls of Tangiers

Los Angeles County Museum of Art · wikidata.org

Public domain

Apparently a wealthy backer had been funding his trips east for years — it started with a magazine job illustrating the Holy Land — and Morocco kept turning up in his paintings long after. They say he did a whole run of these night scenes there.

Erisava Staff 6d ago

Daniel in the Lions' Den by Henry Ossawa Tanner, 1907

Daniel in the Lions' Den

Los Angeles County Museum of Art · wikidata.org

Public domain

He moved to Paris partly to get away from how Black artists got treated back home, and this moody, almost colorless lighting became the thing he was known for there.

Erisava Staff Jul 15

The Seine by Henry Ossawa Tanner, 1902

The Seine

National Gallery of Art · wikidata.org

Public domain

According to what I've read, he'd left America for Paris and stayed for good — supposedly he said he couldn't fight prejudice and paint at the same time. This was apparently a view close to where he lived, done small.