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View Banjo Lesson, one of the most celebrated paintings by an African American artist.
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Henry Ossawa Tanner was born in 1859 in Pittsburgh into a middle class family.
At the age of 13, after observing an artist at work at a neighborhood park,
Turner decided to become an artist. Tanner's father, a bishop of the African Methodist
Episcopal Church, discouraged his artistic pursuits, hoping that he would instead enter
the ministry. However, at the age of 21, Tanner enrolled in the Pennsylvania Academy of
Fine Arts. There his interest turned to landscapes. His teacher, Thomas Eakins, a noted
genre painter, encouraged him to paint scenes from everyday life. In 1893, Tanner painted
"The Banjo Lesson," a realistic study of African American life. By portraying an elder
teaching a boy how to play the banjo, Tanner showed a positive and dignified image of
African Americans. In 1895, believing he could not fulfill his artistic aspirations in
America, Tanner settled in Paris. There, he focused on religious paintings, winning much
critical acclaim for "Daniel in the Lion's Den" and "The Resurrection of Lazarus."
Related Artists:
Edmonia Lewis
Laura Wheeler Waring
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Banjo Lesson (1893)
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