Henry Ossawa Tanner
Are you ready for Christmas? I'm not :D Anyways, it's time to calm down a little, and prepare yourself for tomorrow's meeting with friends and family. The Good Shepherd looks like a good painting to look at and slow down, at least for awhile!
Henry Ossawa Tanner was an American artist and the first African-American painter to gain international acclaim. Tanner's body of work is not limited to one specific approach to painting and drawing. His works vary from meticulous attention to detail in some paintings to loose, expressive brushstrokes in others. Often both methods are employed simultaneously. The combination of these two techniques makes for a masterful balance of skillful precision and powerful expression. Tanner was also interested in the effects that color could have in a painting. Works such as The Good Shepherd evoke a feeling of somber religiosity and introspection. Tanner often experimented with light in a composition. The source and intensity of light and shadow in his paintings create a physical, almost tangible space and atmosphere while adding emotion and mood to the environment.