{"id":3630,"date":"2025-01-21T16:14:32","date_gmt":"2025-01-21T21:14:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/philadelphia1.one\/?p=3630"},"modified":"2025-07-31T07:02:07","modified_gmt":"2025-07-31T11:02:07","slug":"biography-of-artist-leroy-johnson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/philaone.com\/en\/eternal\/biography-of-artist-leroy-johnson-3630","title":{"rendered":"Biography of Artist Leroy Johnson"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Self-taught Philadelphia artist Leroy Johnson passed away in 2022. He described himself as an urban expressionist<\/strong> because his work incorporated many fragments he found on city streets. Johnson created paintings, collages, and mixed-media sculptures, reflecting African-American culture and history. He also taught young people, participated in exhibitions, and was an artist-in-residence. Here at philadelphia1.one<\/a>, we\u2019re taking a deeper look into the life and legacy of this talented artist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Early Life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Leroy was born in Philadelphia in 1937. His father, Harry, worked as a janitor. As a boy, Leroy was curious and creative<\/strong>, loved to read and draw, and often copied images from cartoons. He spent a lot of time at the library, poring over magazines and comics. He once said that he heard a voice that told him he would become an artist in the future<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leroy attended John Bartram High School, where he took extra art classes. It was there that he began creating his first paintings and sculptures. One of his pieces even won an award at a Gimbel Department Store art exhibition<\/strong>. Along with his classmates, Leroy organized an art league. They even tried to hold their own exhibition but were unable to get the necessary permits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1955, Johnson completed his basic education but decided not to get a formal art degree. In his opinion, art schools didn’t encourage originality<\/strong>. Still, he took courses at the Samuel Fleisher Art Memorial, the Philadelphia College of Art, and the Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture in Maine. In 1988, he earned a Master of Social Services degree from Lincoln University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Artistic Career<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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He began his creative journey as a potter. When he was 22, he saw a photo of huge pots in a magazine, which inspired him to sign up for clay-sculpting lessons. He bought his own home in Philadelphia and set up a potter’s wheel and a kiln in the basement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He sold his handmade, African-inspired ceramics to the John Wanamaker department store and other shops under the pseudonym John Leroy<\/strong>. During this time, he delved into studying African art and began incorporating it into his work. He was also inspired by numerous artists and writers<\/a>, as well as jazz, whose rhythms he tried to reflect in his art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leroy used a wide variety of materials and worked in mixed media, creating paintings, collages, and sculptures:<\/p>\n\n\n\n