Henry Ossawa Tanner

Henry Ossawa Tanner (June 21, 1859 – May 25, 1937) was an American artist.

Quotes

• No, father, you preach from the pulpit and I will preach with my brush.
  • On a story he used to tell about his father wanting him to be a preacher, which Tanner himself referred to as a “pretty story” (as quoted in “Henry Ossawa Tanner: Race, Religion, and Visual Mysticism” (Florida State University Libraries, 2003)

• It is not by accident that I have chosen to be a religious painter…I paint the things I see and believe.
  • On his artistic ventures (as quoted in “The Early Religious Paintings of Henry Ossawa Tanner: A Study of the Influences of Church, Family, and Era”; 1992)

• I am simply M. Tanner, an American artist. Nobody knows or cares what was the complexion of my forebears. I live and work there in terms of absolute social equality.
  • On settling in Paris, France (as quoted in “Henry Ossawa Tanner: Modern Spirit” in Title Magazine; 2012)