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John Woodrow Wilson
John Woodrow Wilson.jpg
Wilson in 1986
Born 1922
Roxbury, Massachusetts
Died Jan 22, 2015
Brookline, Massachusetts
Nationality American
Education Tufts University

John Woodrow Wilson (1922–2015) was an American artist who created many types of art. He was a printmaker (making art from stone or metal plates), a sculptor (making statues), a painter, and a muralist (painting large pictures on walls). He was also an art teacher. His art was very much inspired by the important political events happening around him. Wilson is best known for his artworks that showed themes of social fairness and equal rights for everyone.

John Wilson's Early Life

John Woodrow Wilson was born in 1922 in Roxbury, Massachusetts. He was the second of five children. Both of his parents had moved to America from British Guiana, which was a British colony in South America. Today, it is known as Guyana.

His parents came from a middle-class background in British Guiana. His mother's father managed a sugar refining plant. Wilson's father used money inherited from a rich aunt to open a store. Even when he was very young, Wilson noticed the unfairness of racial inequality around him. These early experiences, along with his love for art, led him to create powerful artworks about politics and social issues later in his life.

Education and Art Career

In Boston, John Wilson took art classes at Roxbury Memorial High School. He was also the art editor for his school newspaper. He took many classes at the Boys Club, taught by students from the Museum of Fine Arts School. Because of his talent, he received a full scholarship to the Museum of Fine Arts School and graduated with high honors in 1945.

In 1947, Wilson graduated from Tufts University. He also taught at the Boris Mirski School of Modern Art. He won a special fellowship that allowed him to move to Paris, France. In Paris, Wilson studied with a famous modern artist named Fernand Léger. After returning from Paris in 1949, he began teaching at the Museum of Fine Arts School.

In 1950, he married Julie Kowtich, who was a teacher. John and Julie were an interracial couple, meaning they were from different racial backgrounds. When they traveled in the Southern United States, they were sometimes forced to drive in separate cars because of unfair laws at the time. Wilson won another fellowship, and they lived in Mexico for five years. Wilson admired the Mexican painter José Clemente Orozco, who created political murals. Wilson was inspired by murals because they could be seen by everyone, not just people who could afford to visit museums.

Another artist, Elizabeth Catlett, was also living and working in Mexico. Wilson studied printmaking at a workshop there. When Wilson returned to the United States in 1956, he created art for labor unions in Chicago. He also taught in New York City for a while. In 1964, he moved back to Massachusetts to teach at Boston University, where he stayed until 1986.

Julie Kowitch said that her husband believed his main goal as an artist was to show "black dignity, about racial justice, about poor people trying to get a better deal in life." Wilson's daughter, Erica, shared that he drew everywhere he went. For example, he drew many sketches of his infant grandson during a car trip.

Exhibitions and Awards

John Wilson started winning awards for his art when he was in his early 20s. The Museum of Fine Arts bought his print "Streetcar Scene" in 1945. This image was later used on the cover of an art exhibition catalog in 1992. Smith College also bought his painting "My Brother" in 1942 while he was still a student.

In 1963, a well-known artist and educator, Hale Woodruff, chose Wilson as one of 24 Black artists to be featured in Ebony magazine. This special edition celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, which ended slavery. The article called him one of the "nation’s elite of portrait painters."

Wilson's work was often shown at the annual "Exhibition of Paintings, Sculpture, and Prints by Negro Artists of America" at Clark Atlanta University. This exhibition, started by Woodruff, displayed works by Black artists from all over the United States. This was important because many white galleries and museums at the time would not show their art. Winning artists at these annual shows received money, and their art became part of the university's collection.

Some of Wilson's awards included:

  • 1943: John Hope Award for his oil painting “Black Soldier.”
  • 1944: First Atlanta University Award for “Roxbury Landscape” and the print "Adolescence."
  • 1947: First Atlanta University Purchase Award for the oil painting “Church.”
  • 1951: Print prize for the print “Trabajador.”
  • 1954: Purchase Award for the watercolor “Roxbury Rooftops” and first place in prints for “Mother and Child.”
  • 1955: Top cash award for “Negro Woman.”
  • 1965: First prize in graphics for “Father and Child.”
  • 1969: First prize in graphics for “Child with father.”

In 1948, his work was chosen for a collection by IBM. In 1969, he was part of an exhibit in New York City called “Fourteen Black Artists From Boston.” In 1976, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art included his work in a traveling show called "Two Centuries of Black American Art."

In 1995, Wilson had his own exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts called "Dialogue: John Wilson/Joseph Norman." It showed many of his sculptures and sketches. In 1996, his work was part of a traveling exhibit that looked at how Mexican mural artists influenced Black artists. In 2004, he received the James Van Der Zee award. He said then, “I can’t remember when I was not doing some sort of visual art. This career has been very satisfying.”

Major Artworks and Their Messages

Art About Politics and Social Justice

John Wilson was praised for combining his artistic talent with his strong feelings about politics and social fairness.

Wilson's most famous artwork is a bronze bust (a sculpture of a head and shoulders) of Martin Luther King Jr.. This three-foot-tall sculpture stands in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C. Wilson won a national competition in 1985 to create this memorial statue. It was unveiled on January 15, 1986, which would have been King's 57th birthday. Even though both men had ties to Boston University, they never met. In his art, Wilson showed King's strength and also how he was vulnerable. He also used lines to hint at King's assassination, which silenced his powerful voice for equal rights.

One of Wilson's most direct political artworks is a print called "Deliver Us From Evil," made in 1943. In this piece, he questioned why the United States was fighting for freedom in Europe during World War II while still denying African-American citizens those same rights at home. The left side of the image shows a concentration camp, Nazi soldiers, and Jewish victims. The right side shows poor tenement buildings, a mob ready to harm Black people, and African-American victims. Even with his criticism, Wilson supported the war because he was against fascism and anti-Semitism.

Another important work is the print "Streetcar Scene," created in 1945. In this scene, a Black man sits alone on a streetcar, surrounded by white women. While the other passengers look away, the Black man looks directly at the viewer. This makes the viewer feel connected to him and think about the challenges he faced during wartime. Wilson was critical of how factories were integrated during the war. He said, "I resented the fact that almost everyone on my block was on welfare until they needed us in the shipyards and factories." The man in the print is a worker from the Boston Navy Yard, wearing work clothes and holding a lunchbox.

Wilson also used other art forms, like his 1946 ink drawing "Man with Cigarette." The strong lines and shadows in this drawing create a feeling of urgency. The man in the picture has a sensitive look, which Wilson often used to show his concerns about the African American experience in the U.S. He described America as "a world that promised freedom and opportunity for anyone who worked hard… but clearly if you are black you realize that these nice sounding phrases did not include you."

Wilson's process for creating art can be seen in the sketches he made for the bust of Martin Luther King Jr. The original drawing is at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. When another museum wanted to display it, Wilson made a print of it instead. This print showed King's face with "an almost weary expression," emphasizing King's deep humanity in his fight for equality. The Museum of Fine Arts bought this print, along with the copper plate and the many working proofs Wilson made. These pieces help students learn about printmaking. Wilson's powerful art about Martin Luther King Jr. shows his indirect involvement with the Civil Rights Movement. He said King was "a very important symbol" in his life.

Wilson also illustrated several children's books, including "Spring Comes to the Ocean" (1965) and "Striped Ice Cream" (1968). His drawing "Steel Worker" was used for a magazine cover in 1959. In 1969, one of his paintings was chosen for a book of poetry.

Influences on John Wilson's Art

In 1952, Wilson created a print called "The Trial." It shows a young Black man waiting for a decision from three large white judges. This print is now in the Brooklyn Museum. Wilson was very interested in murals and was inspired by the Mexican painter José Clemente Orozco. He believed murals were a great way to reach many different people who might not be able to visit art museums.

Many artists of the Harlem Renaissance (a cultural movement in the 1920s and 30s) wanted their art to make people happy and proud. But Wilson, who came a generation later and lived through the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, wanted his art to send a message and make people think. In an interview in 1986, Wilson explained why he sculpted the bust of King the way he did. He said, "the head is tilted forward, as if to communicate with the viewer. I hope the sculpture will stimulate people to learn more about King, to perpetuate his struggle."

John Wilson's Legacy

John Wilson passed away on January 22, 2015, at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts. He was 92 years old. His art continues to have a big impact. Art critic Sebastian Smee called him one of "Boston's most esteemed and accomplished artists." Smee noted that Wilson's drawings and charcoal sketches showed "an impulse toward clarity, toward truth."

Wilson helped start a museum called the National Center of Afro-American Artists (NCAAA) in Roxbury, where he was born. This museum had an exhibit honoring his life and work called "John Wilson Remembered 1923–2015." It included many of his sculptures and prints. His work was shown in many places around Boston throughout his life, including the Museum of Fine Arts.

Selected Collections

John Wilson's art can be found in many important art collections, including:

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