“Aaron Douglas African American Modernist.” Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Smithsonian American Art Museum. Web. 7 Nov. 2015. Born and raised in Topeka, Kansas, Aaron was the son of a homemaker and laborer having several brothers and sisters. Though he came from a poor family, he was fortunate to receive a promising education. His artwork spoke volumes as he is still influencing artists and inspiring people today. Aaron Douglas “provided a dignified voice of opposition, insight, and aspiration” to others simply through his creations (1). He displayed courage for African Americans through his work which in turn encouraged many to take action, if they had not already. His beautiful, attention grabbing paintings completely captured culture
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This was a time where many African Americans migrated north to be a part of a more civic, industrialized society. The African American people migrated so far north that they made it to the streets of Harlem, New York, earning this new Negro movement its name. Aaron Douglas is one of many black artists from the Harlem Renaissance and was the “first modern Black artist to use traditional African roots” in his artwork (1). Douglas was also the first president of the Harlem Artist Guild. He worked to help other African American artists find employment, as it was difficult to do so considering that “with this rebirth of traditional African culture, the number of African American artists rapidly increased” (1). This source will be extremely critical throughout the development of my thesis as it entails the story of Aaron Douglas, the artist of Aspects of Negro Life, and also a description of what the Harlem Renaissance is. This source is reliable as it is published through e-Vision at James Madison …show more content…
2013. Web. 7 Nov. 2015. Being yet another contribution to Aspects of Negro Life, Aaron Douglas displays the occurrence of a war dance in The Negro in an African Setting. This work tells of the “importance of the African spirituality” as the floating statue in the upper-center of the painting consumes all attention (1). The statue is highlighted as everyone in the piece leans back with their line of sight directly viewing the statue. Douglas delightfully illustrates movement through both angular lines and circles. I will be able to use this source to display representation and meaning through this piece. This source is reliable as it is published through the website Blog Spot and provides a creative, knowledgeable insight to the
Unlike the Lost Generation the Harlem Renaissance was the birth of the New Negro. During the 1020’s just like The Lost Generation writers in the black community a new style of literature was born with a new set of mind. Before the Harlem renaissance black literature was mostly based on slave narratives accounts written by fugitive slaves about their lives in the south and, often, after escaping to freedom. This particular literature was used to illustrate the cruelties of life under slavery one of the most prominent Negro writer of that era was Frederick Douglas (c.1818-1895). His best-known work is his autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas, an American Slave.
Commenting on his days at the the University of Nebraska, where he won a prize for drawing, he recalled: "I was the the only black student there. Because I was sturdy and friendly, I became popular with both faculty and students. "("Aaron Douglas." Wikipedia). He is sometimes referred to the father of “black american art” and contributed illustrations to newspapers as well as creating his own art("Aaron Douglas."
In Chapter 1 and 2 of “Creating Black Americans,” author Nell Irvin Painter addresses an imperative issue in which African history and the lives of Africans are often dismissed (2) and continue to be perceived in a negative light (1). This book gives the author the chance to revive the history of Africa, being this a sacred place to provide readers with a “history of their own.” (Painter 4) The issue that Africans were depicted in a negative light impacted various artworks and educational settings in the 19th and early 20th century. For instance, in educational settings, many students were exposed to the Eurocentric Western learning which its depiction of Africa were not only biased, but racist as well.
The Harlem Renaissance was a period of great cultural growth in the black community. It is accepted that it started in 1918 and lasted throughout the 1930s. Though named the ‘Harlem’ Renaissance, it was a country-wide phenomenon of pride and development among black Americans, the likes of which had never existed in such grand scale. Among the varying political actions and movements for equality, a surge of new art appeared: musical, visual, and even theatre. With said surge, many of the most well-known black authors, poets, musicians and actors rose to prevalence including Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Louis Armstrong, and Eulalie Spence.
African Americans were able to work for their own money now and gain confidence while living in America. They began to publish newspapers which increased the awareness of racial violence and express their freedom from restraint through art (O’Neill). This “negro fad” in the United States influenced art and drama that focused on the depiction of an African American in the 1920’s. African Americans were revolutionizing the way they were perceived in the U.S.. They gained confidence and made efforts to achieve their ultimate goal,
The Harlem Renaissance was a period in American history, which occurred in the 1920s in Harlem, New York. The cultural movement was an opportunity for African Americans to celebrate their heritage through intellectual and artistic works. Langston Hughes, a famous poet, was a product of the Harlem Renaissance. One notable piece of literature by Hughes is “Dream Deferred”. However, the discussion of African American culture isn’t limited to the 1920s.
“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots” - Marcus Garvey. The Harlem Renaissance was a period of time in which racial pride and culture were thrust away in favor of a more traditional style of art. However, during this time, racial pride was best expressed through folk art via the means of relatable structure, understandable word choice and everyday subject matter. Common poets of the time chose not to imitate the formal and restrictive style of the European influenced “high art” and instead believed in a more down-to-earth, conversational style of writing. In these choices, poets began to shape a new form of art called “folk art” that gave readers content inspired by daily life
The shame wasn’t a cause for them to turn away from the love for their culture, it just made the proud of their deep black beautiful roots. The black artists of the Harlem Renaissance put a visual scene to the joy, pain, laughter, tears, and the ugly truth within this endearing culture. The literature of the Harlem Renaissance gave an intellectual opinion in American during in the turn of the 20th century. Writers of the Harlem Renaissance have had a profound impact on the American society today.
In conclusion what had made The Harlem Renaissance a renaissance was from the continuous hard work that many black artist have put in during this time. It had caused a culture bloom for blacks and whites alike. The Harlem Renaissance pushed for equality amongst the black community and have even come to influence modern day song and style. The people writing in this essay are only a very small handful from the people who had helped push for such a cultural
Douglas went to Harlem after hearing about the many other black artists. The Works Progress Administration appointed Douglas to paint the “Aspects of Negro Life”, in 1934. He created images of the struggles and life of African-Americans. He married a teacher, Alta Sawyer in 1926. Some of the paintings he created were the best-known paintings in the 1930s.
All the composers, artists, musicians, and poets introduced new ideas in ways of expressing their pride in their race and culture. The Harlem Renaissance was the general notion where it was the time for African Americans to take their place the society and contribute their way of culture. Art in the time of the Harlem Renaissance often presented usage of bold colors displayed in an expressionist manner. Work from most artists would portray African Americans dancing, dining playing music, or engaging in what seems to be amusing festivities.
The 20th century can be fairly considered as the most important period in the history of African American people because it is just the time when racism discrimination was overcome. For many years before the beginning of the struggle for rights of African-American people, there was a legal system based on white supremacy. African Americans didn't have a real opportunity to vote. Segregation was spread everywhere: black people were not allowed to take seats in public transport which belonged to whites, they could not attend universities and schools for white people, it was even forbidden to drink from the same drinking fountains. Many shops and stores, cafes and restaurants refused service African Americans and treated them as inferior people.
The Harlem Renaissance was a movement that reflected the culture of African Americans in an artistic way during the 1920’s and the 30’s. Many African Americans who participated in this movement showed a different side of the “Negro Life,” and rejected the stereotypes that were forced on themselves. The Harlem Renaissance was full of artists, musicians, and writers who wrote about their thoughts, especially on discrimination towards blacks, such as Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, and Langston Hughes. The Harlem Renaissance was an influential and exciting movement, and influenced others to fight for what they want and believed in. The Harlem Renaissance was the start of the Civil Rights Movement.
The Harlem Renaissance was a “outpouring of writing, music, and social criticism” (Baker, 1987) aimed at destroying the ever-present racism of the 1920s. Langston Hughes, an artist of the Harlem Renaissance, was a big contributor to change, inspiring those of his own time and later on to stand up for African American rights. Penning the 1926 manifesto The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain, Hughes encapsulated the thoughts of Harlem, and urged African Americans to be proud of their own culture, “without fear or shame” (Hughes in Bernard, 2011).
Norman Lewis did all these things but did not have nearly the same prominence as white (cis, male) artists. Today, in 2023, we see the value in the works of Norman Lewis and other underrepresented artists, that they were never given when they were created. These works now hang in museums and are sold in auctions, and it is only because of the determination and persistence of these artists, that I can write this essay today. When asked if he makes a successful living as an artist, Norman Lewis replied, “No, I don't. I don't think any black artist makes a living.