Prompt 1 (JOW)

Henry Ossawa Tanner’s The Banjo Lesson

Henry Ossawa Tanner’s The Banjo Lesson has always captivated me. I recognize the image because growing up Philadelphia, the place where Tanner once lived and was educated in, I would see this image in various places in my predominantly African-American neighborhood. The meaning continues to evolve for me as I grow and learn more about it.

Tanner was an artist who inspired me to create art. His pieces are masterfully composed and rendered, and are an excellent example of the American realist movement of the late 19th century. Growing up in a church-going family, I could easily relate to biblical themes of works such as The Annunciation, a depiction of Mary, mother of Jesus the Christ, being visited by an otherworldly entity.

I find the The Banjo Lesson especially compelling for various reasons. The image itself, a naturalistic depiction of an old man teaching a young boy to play an instrument, is endearing enough. Obviously, this would be a positive, dignified image in a troubled, working-class, African-American community. I, however, began to read into it more as I grew.

When I was a kid, I noticed how Tanner arranged the lighting so that the warm yellow-orange, the fire’s light, lit most of the young boy, and a cool bluish glow from outside lit a large portion of the old man. To me this represented the approaching last days of the old man and the promising future of youth. The painting was completed in 1893, so the old man in this image could have possibly been a former slave. The instrument, the banjo, actually originated as a similar stringed instrument in Africa. African slaves in America lost their freedom, identity, language, etc, but managed to retain some of their original culture. That culture, however, continually eroded with the birth of “free-born” Africans in America. So the actual banjo lesson, to me, represents the passing on of a morphing and fading connection to Africa. The young boy, who looks to be about 7 or 8, who’ll reach adulthood in the early 20th century, will most likely be considered a “New Negro” or a generation of free-born, free-minded African-Americans responsible for, among other things, the Harlem Renaissance. One could imagine the distinctly folksy American and African rhythms the young boy is learning to strum on this banjo being used in America’s first jazz bands.

The Banjo Lesson is also effective because of the subtle gestures of the two figures. African-American subjects, especially lower-middle-class, simply weren’t often depicted with this much humanity at that time.

Even now, as I continue to study African-American art, I discover more and more about the context of this image and the life of the artist. The meaning continually evolves. The piece is compelling for many reasons, and more than I would like to subject the reader to at this time.