All God's Chillun' Got Wings
Collection: Houston Parks and Recreation Department (HPARD)
2003
Acrylic on Canvas
Location:
Clinton Park, Harvey Johnson, All God's Chillun' Got Wings, 2003
200 Mississippi Street
Houston, TX 77029
About the Artwork:
All God's Chillun' Got Wings (2003)
by Harvey Johnson
Harvey L. Johnson is an artist born in 1947 in Port Arthur, Texas who began studying under Dr. John Biggers at Texas Southern University in 1966. Johnson earned his MFA at Washington State University before returning to teach art at Texas Southern University for 34 years and retiring in 2007. In 2003, Johnson was commissioned by the Houston Municipal Arts Commission to paint this nine-feet-high and 22-foot-long mural in the Clinton Community Center in east Houston. Perhaps inspired by his mentor, the mural can be considered in three sections and has many references to West African culture. On the left appears to be women, dressed in white with head wraps, who carry souls to and from mausoleums; the section is painted with a blue theme. The right section shows men in jean overalls presenting a child to female figures as a spiral centers on a powerful force of two people; the section is painted with a red theme. The center section shows four people, dressed in white, whose bodies become pillars and plants that come from geese. The bottom of the mural is connected by a stream of water with a conjoined alligator amongst fish, turtles, and frogs. Perhaps this a mural about the cycle of life. What do you think?
Todos los Hijos de Dios Tienen Alas (2003)
por Harvey Johnson
All God's Chillun' Got Wings (2003)
by Harvey Johnson
Harvey L. Johnson is an artist born in 1947 in Port Arthur, Texas who began studying under Dr. John Biggers at Texas Southern University in 1966. Johnson earned his MFA at Washington State University before returning to teach art at Texas Southern University for 34 years and retiring in 2007. In 2003, Johnson was commissioned by the Houston Municipal Arts Commission to paint this nine-feet-high and 22-foot-long mural in the Clinton Community Center in east Houston. Perhaps inspired by his mentor, the mural can be considered in three sections and has many references to West African culture. On the left appears to be women, dressed in white with head wraps, who carry souls to and from mausoleums; the section is painted with a blue theme. The right section shows men in jean overalls presenting a child to female figures as a spiral centers on a powerful force of two people; the section is painted with a red theme. The center section shows four people, dressed in white, whose bodies become pillars and plants that come from geese. The bottom of the mural is connected by a stream of water with a conjoined alligator amongst fish, turtles, and frogs. Perhaps this a mural about the cycle of life. What do you think?
Todos los Hijos de Dios Tienen Alas (2003)
por Harvey Johnson
Harvey L. Johnson es un artista nacido en 1947 en Port Arthur, Texas, que comenzó a estudiar con el Dr. John Biggers en la Universidad del Sur de Texas en 1966. Johnson obtuvo su Maestría en Bellas Artes en la Universidad Estatal de Washington antes de regresar a enseñar arte en la Universidad del Sur de Texas durante 34 años, jubilándose en 2007. En 2003, la Comisión de Artes Municipales de Houston le encargó pintar este mural de 2,7 metros de alto y 6,7 metros de largo en el Centro Comunitario Clinton en el este de Houston. Quizás inspirado por su mentor, el mural se puede dividir en tres secciones y contiene numerosas referencias a la cultura de África Occidental. A la izquierda, parecen verse mujeres vestidas de blanco con pañuelos en la cabeza, que transportan almas hacia y desde mausoleos; esta sección está pintada en tonos azules. La sección de la derecha muestra a hombres con overoles de mezclilla presentando a un niño a figuras femeninas, mientras una espiral converge en una poderosa fuerza representada por dos personas; esta sección está pintada en tonos rojos. La sección central muestra a cuatro personas vestidas de blanco, cuyos cuerpos se transforman en pilares y plantas que brotan de gansos. La parte inferior del mural está conectada por un arroyo con un caimán entre peces, tortugas y ranas. Quizás este mural represente el ciclo de la vida. ¿Qué opinas?