New Born Babe 1939

William H. Johnson made this painting called 'New Born Babe' with thick strokes of gouache, maybe. I can imagine him, starting with the figures, building up the painting from the ground up with pinks, blues, browns. The picture feels symbolic, as the figures are stylized, flattened, and have a raw, folk-art quality. See how the angels stand alongside Mary, their yellow wings contrasting against the background? I wonder, was he thinking of Italian Renaissance paintings, or maybe the spirituals he heard growing up? I'm drawn to the color combinations, that strange and beautiful brown for the skin tones. I imagine Johnson layering the paint, adjusting the colors and shapes until they felt right. The painting feels like a personal expression, a spiritual vision made tangible through the act of painting, echoing the work of other artists who turned inward for inspiration, who embrace the struggle to convey the complexity of human experience.