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Henry Ossawa Tanner brought his principles to his canvas. They guided his
brush and determined the hues of his message. Professor Marcus C. Bruce is
imbued with the spirit of his subject; like Tanner, his message is about the
value of family and kinship and the oneness of humanity.
Bruce is Associate Professor of Religion and a member of the African-American Studies and Cultural Studies Programs at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. His early ambition to become a minister was sidetracked for philosophical reasons, but he never lost his zeal to answer that higher calling. With Tanner, Bruce has found a way to pursue his academic career and embrace his ministerial interest. He couldn't have picked a more appropriate subject. |
 Bruce signing books at W.H. Smith in Paris. |
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 Author visits cemetery in Robinson, France where Tanner is buried. |
Tanner was the son of an American Methodist Episcopal Minister, and while his
passion for painting overwhelmed his devotion to the principles of his
father's theology, he lived them through his art. Tanner's paintings are a
point of departure for both the artist and the academic on a spiritual
journey that, not only "trace the trajectory of Tanner's life," but provides
the reader with some insight into path of the biographer. The volume is
small, barely two hundred pages, but like a good sermon, it's message is
tightly woven into a missal containing the words and the images necessary for
celebrating a life.
Bruce expertly surveys the works of Tanner, providing clues to the artist's motives for his selection of subjects and demonstrating that, though Tanner was often criticized for not embracing the plight of his people, he expanded their horizons by selecting themes that embraced the humanity of all men. Bruce also suggests that a man's mission in life is often something that is given and not selected; the success of that journey is not to be measured by the roar of the crowd, but by the voices of the ages. | ||
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Henry Owassa Tanner was an African-American painter who, with few or no
identifiable role models, defied tradition and obstacles of racial animus to
practice his art. In doing so he demonstrated that a life's work dedicated to
healing the rifts that separate us and celebrating the humanity of all men,
lifts us all up in the sight of God and is a service to humanity. By choosing
Tanner to bring this message, Bruce is given the opportunity to pursue the
ministry that he never officially embraced. Both Tanner and Bruce, with this
book, continue to take their message to a larger audience-- congregation if
you will.
Tanner had to leave America to continue his education. While a student at the prestigious Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts, he was subjected to a mock crucifixion by racist and jealous classmates, who bound him to his easel and dragged him through the streets. In the less racially abrasive climate of 19th Century Paris, he was allowed to become the painter that America was not yet prepared to recognize. In 1923, the French govrnment made Tanner a chevalier of the Legion of Honor. |
 Bruce reads to friends on picnic at Parc Floral in Paris. | ||
 Tanner's grave site. |
He returned to America a young David, his very presence unable to slay the
Golaith of racism, though leaving it mortally wounded. A bewildered and
racist Philadelphia newspaper, hearing of the honor bestowed upon him and
unable to photograph the real Tanner, photographed the first black sailor they
could find to represent the returning artist. While motivated by malice, this
may have, in the long run, helped force whites to see blacks in a different
light. In 1991 the Philadelphia Museum of Arts mounted a touring retrospective
of the 19th Century painter's work.
This summer, professor Bruce returned to France to lecture and attend book signings in his honor. He also found time, accompanied by his family, to visit the grave of Tanner in a small town less than a hour outside of Paris, where they pruned a rose bush at the grave site. Days later, on a whim, he returned to the site to find several blossoms on the newly pruned bush. | ||
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The Henry Ossawa Tanner book published by: Crossroad Publishing Company 481 Eight Avenue New York, NY is available at Amazon.com and Borders Books. In Paris the book is stocked by the Village Voice and W.H. Smith. | |||
All stories and photographs are available by contacting LSloan1420@aol.com
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