American painter. He was one of the foremost African American artists, achieving an international reputation in the early years of the 20th century for his religious paintings. The son of an African Methodist Episcopal bishop, he studied art with Thomas Eakins from 1880 to 1882 at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia. He then worked in Philadelphia and Atlanta, GA, where he ran a photography studio and taught at Clark College. He also exhibited in New York and Philadelphia and attracted several patrons who sponsored him to study abroad.
In 1891 Tanner travelled to Paris, enrolling at the Académie Julian where he received instruction from Benjamin Constant and Jean-Paul Laurens. He first exhibited his figure paintings at the Paris Salon of 1894 and by 1897 received a medal for the Raising of Lazarus (1897; Mus. Orsay, Paris), which was bought by the French government. With Daniel in the Lions’ Den (lost; second version, Los Angeles, CA, Co. Mus. A.), shown in the Salon of 1896, he established his specialization. To assure the accuracy of his biblical scenes, Tanner travelled to Palestine in 1897 and 1898, studying the terrain, people, costumes, and customs. As a result of a later visit to Morocco, he painted several city views of Tangiers.
Inspired by Symbolism and the art of Whistler, Tanner moved increasingly from his realistic, academic style to an evocative and painterly approach (e.g. Return from the Crucifixion, 1936; Washington, DC, Howard U., Gal. A.). He limited his palette to monochromatic hues, cast the scenes in soft, shadowy lighting and used layers of glazes and scumbling (see fig.). Tanner retained dual allegiance, living in France and exhibiting in America. He served as the President of the Société Artistique de Picardie in 1913. There is an important collection of his work in the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC.
