Fifth Grade
Worksheets
Sargent Claude Johnson
Some artists feel the importance of color, not only in their life, but also in their work. Sargent Claude Johnson was an important painter in the Harlem Renaissance movement who felt that color expressed the joy and pride he felt in his heritage. He said, "I am concerned with color, not solely as a technical problem, but also as a means of heightening the racial character of my work. The Negroes are a colorful race; they call for an art as colorful as they can be made."
Sargent Claude Johnson was born on October 7, 1888. His family faced many challenges. His mother was black and Native American, while his father was white. Mixed-race families were not accepted at that time. Some of Sargent's brothers and sisters looked like Native Americans. Others looked white or African American. Sargent chose to live his life as an African American. Unfortunately, both of his parents passed on while Sargent was young. His father died in 1897. His mother died in 1902. The children then went to live with their mother's brother.
Sargent may have first become interested in sculpture because his aunt was a sculptress. Her name was May Howard Jackson, and she became famous for her sculptures of African Americans. She had a studio in Washington, D.C. Later, Sargent had some of his work in the same exhibitions as his aunt.
