Early Morning Work 1940

William H. Johnson's 'Early Morning Work' presents a domestic scene in bold, flat shapes. The colors are muted, earthy—yellows, browns, and blues—applied in a way that feels both deliberate and intuitive, like a memory trying to surface. The painting's surface has a tactile quality; you can almost feel the roughness of the canvas beneath the paint. Look at how Johnson renders the figures. The strong outlines and simplified forms remind me of folk art, but there is something deeply modern here too. The area I find most striking is the donkey on the left. It's painted with such directness, a few simple lines capturing the animal's essence. In a funny way, this reminds me of Marsden Hartley, with the simple truth of ordinary life. I am interested in how each of these painters finds a way to make the ordinary glow with significance. With a painting like this, Johnson invites us to see the world with fresh eyes. It's a reminder that art is an ongoing conversation.