Yesterday, the Fourth Sunday of Advent, the Gospel reading was from Luke 1:26-38. Msgr. Ronald Jameson, rector of the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, mentioned in his homily an Annunciation by the African-American painter Henry Tanner, on display at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It is a very striking painting, not in the manner of any European Annunciations that I recall:
Tanner's portrait of his mother, also at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, is worth a close look as well. I don't remember seeing Tanner's work elsewhere. I find that the National Gallery of Art has three of his works, two in the recently acquired Corcoran Gallery of Art, and none on view.
The National Gallery of Art does give an interesting account of Tanner's life.
You may also enjoy Tanner's "The Banjo Lesson," which is tender without being sentimental...
ReplyDeleteThanks, I had not seen that. I don't think that I'm going to get down to Hampton University to see it, but perhaps someone will put together a Tanner show that visits Washington.
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