Art Class - Three Men 1939

William H. Johnson made this painting, Art Class – Three Men, with oil paint, and you can really feel the way he dove right in. The colors are bold, almost shouting at you, and the lines are so sure, they create shapes that don't mess around. Looking closely, the paint's got this lovely thickness, like he wasn't afraid to really load up his brush. You can almost see the trails where he moved the paint around, each stroke full of purpose. Take a look at the blue of the man's pants in the foreground. It's not just blue; it’s alive, with different shades and textures that make you want to reach out and touch it. And the confident, dark outlines give everything this graphic punch, a kind of confident swagger. Johnson's work reminds me of artists like Marsden Hartley, who also weren't shy about using color to express big feelings. Like them, Johnson shows us that art is a conversation, always building on what came before while bravely trying something new. It's not about perfection but about feeling, about putting something real out into the world, messy edges and all.