Harvest

Born and raised in Chicago, White won a scholarship to study at the Art Institute and concurrently began work as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) artist where he met Mexican muralists Diego Rivera and David Siqueiros. White is recognized for his powerful murals and prints that portray the black American experience through straightforward narratives and an equally direct drawing style. Harvest portrays a woman carrying sheaves of grain on her head, an image of courage and determination that also alludes to the biblical story of Joseph’s dream.Toward the end of his life White described his work: “I use Negro subject matter because Negroes are closest to me. But I am trying to express a universal feeling through them, a meaning for all men. . . . All my life, I’ve been painting a simple painting. This does not mean that I am a man without anger—I’ve had my work in museums where I wasn’t allowed to see it. But what I pour into my work is the challenge of how beautiful life can be.” (“Highlights from the Collection: 45 Years at the Johnson,” curated by Stephanie Wiles and presented at the Johnson Museum January 27–July 22, 2018)