Horace Pippin painted the memories that stuck with him. Some were terrifyingly painful. Others were peaceful. Pippin had no formal art training and created his first oil painting at age forty-two. Only eight years later, four of his paintings were exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City. His artwork expressed his concerns about social and political issues and documented the lives of black Americans during and between the two World Wars.
Horace Pippin was the grandson of enslaved African Americans, and he was born 23 years after the Civil War. Slaves had been freed, but the country was still divided. “Jim Crow” laws mandated racial segregation in public places. Pippin went to segregated schools, but left school in seventh grade to take care of his dying mother and then took an array of jobs to help support his family.
When America entered World War I (1914 – 1918) in 1917, Horace Pippin was 29 and signed up to serve in the military. Even the military was segregated! He was part of an African American regiment called the "Harlem Hellfighters". They could only do jobs like unloading ships, building roads or digging graves for soldiers. He worked hard in the military until he was shot by a sniper.
After the war, it was hard for Pippin to work. He was injured, and many jobs available for black men were jobs that required physical labor. He did not let this stop him, and he began using art as a way to feel better... both physically and mentally. Drawing his memories from the war helped him adjust to being a civilian, and working to control his paintbrush helped his muscles in his arm.
Pippin’s story – an untrained artist and decorated war veteran turns to art as therapy – is remarkable, but that’s not only the reason why his body of work became well known. It was because of his artistic ability. He became well-known in the art world and had exhibits in art museums around the country!
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