Henry Ossawa Tanner: A Spiritual Biography (Lives & Legacies) [Hardcover]

Marcus C. Bruce (Author)

Book Description

Series: Lives & Legacies | Publication Date: February 1, 2002

Henry Ossawa Tanner is a turn-of-the-century African-American painter who achieved great success in France and is now becoming even more famous in the U.S. Alongside the landscapes that brought him great acclaim, Tanner was also a genius in depicting Biblical scenes. This book examines Tanner's rich life through the lens of his paintings.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: The Crossroad Publishing Company (February 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0824519728
• ISBN-13: 978-0824519728
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,505,939 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent biography of a great artist, May 28, 2002

By 

E. N. Anderson (Riverside, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Henry Ossawa Tanner: A Spiritual Biography (Lives & Legacies) (Hardcover)

One of the most stunning moments in my art-watching career came many years ago in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, when I suddenly came upon Henry Tanner's painting "The Annunciation." I remained transfixed for many minutes. It remains my favorite religious painting of the last couple of centuries. I soon learned that the artist was the first African-American to make it to the artistic top, the stratospheric heights of French Salon shows and membership in the American National Academy of Design. Tanner was almost forgotten for a long time, but there is a flock of webpages and internet resources on him now, as well as this wonderful biography.
Marcus Bruce has written a brief book that lays out Tanner's lifecourse, centering on the religious and spiritual side, which was, in fact, Tanner's true focus. (Tanner, a minister's son, remained deeply religious all his life.) This book is not only clear and authoritative; it has some of the most insightful art criticism that I have seen. Bruce is far from the "in the right corner we see a dog" school of art writing. He describes the paintings in relation to Tanner's spiritual quest, and Tanner's vision of the world and humanity. His account of my beloved "Annunciation" is a real masterpiece.
My only complaint with this book (besides sloppy editing--there are too many typos) is that it is too short and does not have color pictures! I hope, even pray, that Dr. Bruce will go on to do a full-scale, large-format art book about Henry Tanner, with the major works in full color. Tanner certainly deserves it--he still has not received the recognition he deserves--and Bruce is the man to do it.