The Artists

Henry Ossawa Tanner
A quiet man transcends racism to bring art back to religion

Henry Ossawa Tanner, The Artists
Portrait of Henry Ossawa Tanner

Henry Ossowa Tanner was a quiet, humble man whose health was as delicate as his round wireframe glasses. But his self-effacing demeanor hid the quiet strength that fueled Tanner’s fight through illness, poverty and racism to become an internationally renowned painter of religious art.

At age 13, Henry Ossowa Tanner’s apprenticeship at a flour mill broke his already poor health. The sick boy recuperated at home, finally able to indulge in the passion his father resented—painting and drawing. It took until his late teens for Tanner’s health to improve, and finally, in 1879, Tanner left home and enrolled in the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. At the time, he was the only black student. The Academy of Fine Arts was a foundational experience for Tanner. He found a mentor in the artist Thomas Eakins, but was abused by his fellow students. In his autobiographical article “The Story of an Artist’s Life,” Tanner wrote: “I was extremely timid and to be made to feel that I was not wanted, although in a place where I had every right to be, even months afterwards caused me sometimes weeks of pain. Every time any one of these disagreeable incidents came into my mind, my heart sank, and I was anew tortured by the thought of what I had endured.”

Work was thin on the ground in the years after his schooling. Tanner opened a photography studio in Atlanta, a short-lived experiment, but a solo exhibition helped him raise enough money to travel to Rome.

[Editor’s note: We're still researching Henry Ossawa Tanner, check back soon for the full biography]

Reed Enger, "Henry Ossawa Tanner, A quiet man transcends racism to bring art back to religion," in Obelisk Art History, Published March 30, 2016; last modified September 25, 2022, http://www.arthistoryproject.com/artists/henry-ossawa-tanner/.

Henry Ossawa Tanner was a U.S. Artist of the African Diaspora and Tonalist Artist born on June 21, 1859. Ossawa Tanner contributed to the Impressionist movement, worked in France and died on May 25, 1937.

Spinning By Firelight, Henry Ossawa Tanner

Spinning By Firelight 1894

Les Invalides, Paris, Henry Ossawa Tanner

Les Invalides, Paris 1896

Lion Drinking, Henry Ossawa Tanner

Lion Drinking 1897

Portrait of the Artist's Mother, Henry Ossawa Tanner

Portrait of the Artist's Mother 1897

And He Disappeared out of Their Sight, Henry Ossawa Tanner

And He Disappeared out of Their Sight 1898

Study for the Annunciation, Henry Ossawa Tanner

Study for the Annunciation 1898

The Annunciation, Henry Ossawa Tanner

The Annunciation 1898

Salome, Henry Ossawa Tanner

Salome 1900

The Good Shepherd, Henry Ossawa Tanner

The Good Shepherd 1902 – 1903

Abraham's Oak, Henry Ossawa Tanner

Abraham's Oak 1905

The Disciples See Christ Walking on the Water, Henry Ossawa Tanner

The Disciples See Christ Walking on the Water 1907

Angels Appearing before the Shepherds, Henry Ossawa Tanner

Angels Appearing before the Shepherds 1910

Entrance to the Casbah, Henry Ossawa Tanner

Entrance to the Casbah 1912

Gateway, Tangier, Henry Ossawa Tanner

Gateway, Tangier 1912

Mary, Henry Ossawa Tanner

Mary 1914

Fisherman's Devotions, Étaples, Henry Ossawa Tanner

Fisherman's Devotions, Étaples 1916

The Arch, Henry Ossawa Tanner

The Arch 1919

Moses in the Bullrushes, Henry Ossawa Tanner

Moses in the Bullrushes 1921

By continuing to browse Obelisk you agree to our Cookie Policy