Artists
Between 1920-1930 and outburst of creativity among African American occurred in every aspect of art. This cultural movement became known as "The New Negro Movement" later the "Harlem Renaissance. Harlem attracted a prosperous and stylish middle class which sprouted an artistic center. African Americans were encouraged to clebrate their heritage and to become "The New Negro" a term coined in 1925 by sociologist and critic Alain LeRoy Locke.
Aaron Douglas (1899-1979)
"...Our problem is to conceive, develop, establish an art era. Not white art painting black...let's bare our arms and plunge them deep through laughter, through pain, through sorrow, through hope, through disappointment, into the very depths of the souls of our people and drag forth material crude, rough, neglected. Then let's sing it, dance it, write it, paint it. Let's do the impossible. Let's create something transcendentally material, mystically objective. Earthy. Spiritually earthy. Dynamic." - Aaron Douglas
Aaron Douglas (1898-1979) was the Harlem Renaissance artist whose work best exemplified the 'New Negro' philosophy. He painted murals for public buildings and produced illustrations and cover designs for many black publications including The Crisis and Opportunity. In 1940 he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he founded the Art Department at Fisk University and tought for twenty nine years.
Aaron Douglas completed these sketches in preparation for a mural he painted under WPA sponsorship fir the 135th Street branch of the New York Public Library in Harlem. The four-panel series Aspects of Negro Life tracks the journey of African Americans from freedom in Africa to enslavement in the UNited States and from liberation after the Civil War to life in the modern city.
Aaron Douglas, study for God's Trombones
Lois Mailou Jones (1905-1998)
Lois Jones attended the School of Museum of Fine Art, Boston, during a time of strong discrimination against African Americans. She entered her works into exhibitions that did not recognize African American artist by having white friends deliver the paintings. In other cases, prizes awarded to her were taken away and given to her white competitors. Despite these challenges JOnes prevailed as an artist.
"Mine is a quiet explorations quest for new meanings in color, texture and design. Even though I sometimes portray scenes of poor and struggling people, it is a great joy to paint." -Lois Mailou Jones
"Mine is a quiet explorations quest for new meanings in color, texture and design. Even though I sometimes portray scenes of poor and struggling people, it is a great joy to paint." -Lois Mailou Jones
Lois Mailon Jones, Buddha, 1927
From "The life and art of Lois Mailou Jones" Tritobia Hayes Benjamin. 1994
Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000)
Jacob Lawrence was the first mainstream African American artist. His success began at the age of 24, and lasted until he died, in 2000. Lawrence is best known for his "Migration" series or paintings, where he shows the migration of blacks from Africa, to the United States. This series focuses mainly on their history in the south. Throughout his life, he won many awards and a lot of recognition for his works.
Click here to experience Jacob Lawrence's migration series
Click here to experience Jacob Lawrence's migration series
"I've always been interested in history, but they never taught Negro history in the public schools... I don't see how a history of the United States can be written honestly without including the Negro."
- Jacob Lawrence
- Jacob Lawrence
Female Laborer
Dreams
