Description
The Savior
Henry Ossawa Tanner, c. 1900–1905
About this Piece
The Savior occupied Tanner’s mind throughout his entire career. In this piece, the Savior quietly prays for strength as he waits for his crown of thorns to be placed upon him. Tanner sought to portray him as a real person, experiencing genuine thoughtful, prayer, rather than showing Christ as an idealized, unreachable figure. Still, the golden hues highlighting the Savior allude to his unique, spiritual nature.
Looking for an easy way to display this piece in your home? Take home a 14 inch paper poster of The Savior today.
More About Tanner
Henry Ossawa Tanner was perhaps the most prominent American religious artist at the turn of the 20th century. He was the first child born to Reverend Benjamin Tucker Tanner (of the African Methodist Episcopal Church) and Sarah Tanner (who had escaped enslavement via the Underground Railroad). As a young artist, he met a bishop for the Methodist Episcopal Church named Joseph Crane Hartzell, who arranged a teaching position for him at Clark University. In 1890, Hartzell also organized an exhibition of Tanner’s art. When none of the pieces sold, Hartzell and his wife purchased them in order to fund Tanner’s upcoming trip to Europe.
He spent much of his life studying and practicing art in France, as well as journeying to the Middle East in order to increase the detail in his biblical pieces. He was a regular contributor to the NAACP after its founding in 1910, a member of the National Academy of Design, and a loyal contributor to the American Red Cross’ effort during World War I. One of his greatest distinctions came in 1923, when the French government named him chevalier of the Legion of Honor, the highest French decoration and one of the most famous in the world.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.