Johnnie Lee Gray Art

After reading about the Civil War in an Ebony Magazine Encyclopedia series, Gray illustrated the heroism of the black soldiers who fought in the Civil War. The all-black 54th Regiment of Massachusetts fighting unit, has been the most mentioned fighting unit, bit there were other units if black soldiers that fought in the War Between the States. In "Blue and Gray", Gray depicts a battle scene between the black regiment, the Massachusetts 54th, and a confederate regiment against the backdrop of enslaved blacks work in the cotton field. The collection of available works artist Johnnie Lee Gray is handled exclusively by Neema Fine Art Gallery, an art gallery featuring phenomenal works of art by phenomenal Southern African American artists. Artist, Johnnie Lee Gray was born in Spartanburg County, South Carolina in 1941. In his early years, Gray demonstrated artistic talent, painting & drawing as a way to express his emotions & depict his surroundings. Working alongside his grandparents in the fields of their sharecropper farm, & later as a carpenter, textile mill worker, & house painter, Gray learned early on to use the materials of his milieu to create works of art that drew on his memories & experiences as a black American man. After graduating from the county’s segregated Lincoln High School in 1960, Gray enlisted in the Army, where he served for seven years, including an 18-month volunteer tour of duty in Vietnam. As a Vietnam Veteran and self-taught artist, Gray’s work illustrated his experiences in the military as an African-American and the participation of black people in the history of the American and world landscape. Described as “visionary” “outsider” artist, the patterned shapes, visual texture, vibrant palettes and repetitive forms showcased in his paintings are recognizable characteristics of his historical narratives. The PBS television series, The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow...

In this work, which took nearly three years to complete, great historical luminaries examine African-American life. All of the past and present problems black America faced at the time the piece was completed are present. Gray mixed in the reality of black despair with slight dabs of hope for the future. Luminaries featured include Harriet Tubman, Richard Allen, Marcus Garvey...

This painting captures the sense of "double victory" the Tuskegee Airmen fought for--victory abroad and victory at home. The Tuskegee Airmen was the all-black World War II fighter squadron that never lost a bomber. The flag-wrapped Statue of Liberty's ringing of the Liberty Bell against the backdrop of clouds shaped in "V"s mirror the optimism some blacks had. They hoped that helping to win World War II would translate into victory against Jim Crow...

As a child Johnnie Lee Gray loved to go to the movies on Saturday to watch Western serials. He went to the Ritz Theater, an all-black movie house. Blacks were either banned from, or restricted to the balconies, of "white" movie theaters. As with several of his paintings, the artist is the man to the left with the big hat. Artist, Johnnie Lee Gray was born in Spartanburg County, South Carolina in 1941. In his early years, Gray demonstrated artistic talent, painting & drawing as a way to express his emotions & depict his surroundings. Working alongside his grandparents in the fields of their sharecropper farm, & later as a carpenter, textile mill worker, & house painter, Gray learned early on to use the materials of his milieu to create works of art that drew on his memories & experiences as a black American man. After graduating from the county’s segregated Lincoln High School in 1960, Gray enlisted in the Army, where he served for seven years, including an 18-month volunteer tour of duty in Vietnam. As a Vietnam Veteran and self-taught artist, Gray’s work illustrated his experiences in the military as an African-American and the participation of black people in the history of the American and world landscape. Described as “visionary” “outsider” artist, the patterned shapes, visual texture, vibrant palettes and repetitive forms showcased in his paintings are recognizable characteristics of his historical narratives. The PBS television series, The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow...