Jitterbugs (II) 1941

William H. Johnson made this gouache painting called 'Jitterbugs (II)' and it just sings with life. The colours are laid down flat, but they're not dull – that sunny yellow against the man's checked suit, it's like a visual shout. The thing that grabs me is the rhythm in it. The way he's put down those stripes, and daubs of paint. It's not precise, but it's got this amazing energy, you can almost hear the music. Then there's that red circle, smack dab in the middle, could be a shoulder, could be a balloon, who knows? It doesn't matter, because it pulls the whole thing together. Johnson reminds me of Stuart Davis in the way he found a way to make folk art and abstraction meet, both had such an eye for turning the everyday into something that zings. It's a reminder that art doesn't always have to be serious; sometimes, it just needs to make you feel good.