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Comparing The Works Of Jacob Lawrence And Kara Walker

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African Americans have played a significant role in the field of visual arts and also in other artworks. Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000) and Kara Walker (1969 -) serve among the most recognized African American visual artists for their contribution. The artists are connected with their ability in expressing a message that has a lasting interest that results from their American experience. The personal experience of African Americans tends to differ from that of other communities in the U.S thus promoting their works to possess some aspects associated with their history (Philips Collection Organization, 2001). Furthermore, individual experiences of the artists tend to reflect and influence the direction of their work. The paper presents a comparative …show more content…

Unlike Jacob Lawrence, Kara Walker transitions both the 20th and the 21st century with her popularity most recognized in the 21st century. However, the artworks of the two authors play a significant role in informing audiences about some of the crucial historical issues and social issues. Jacob Lawrence was born on 7th September 1917 in Atlantic City in New Jersey but moved to Easton, Pennsylvania (Philips Collection Organization, 2007). Early hardships after his parents separated prompted Lawrence to live in foster care, but later rejoined his mother in Harlem at the age of thirteen years. The early life of Kara Walker differs from that of Lawrence in that she was raised in a wealthy family where her father worked as a painter. Walker was born on 26th November in Stockton, California but later moved to Atlanta, Georgia together with her family where she spent whatever is left of her youth life (Shaw, 2010). The two artists’ desire for artwork developed at an early age. Walker’s passion for art began at the age of three years while that of Lawrence began at the age of thirteen. However, Walker’s ambitions of becoming an artist changed as she grew older but later sought to become an …show more content…

The same year she completed her master’s degree, Walker debuted a mural titled ‘Gone’ in New York City Drawing Center. According to Rounthwaite (2007), the mural was a representation of the historical romance that depicted civil war. The mural proved crucial in Walker’s career while equally ranking her among the leading artistic voices that captured the issue of race and racism. She has since then remained a consistent representative of race and racism problems in the American society particularly with regards to the issue of African Americans and their history. Other than capturing the issues of race, Walker has made various drawings that signify her support of feminism. Most of her images depict the problem of racism in the modern American society and a variety of other social as well as economic inequalities that persist and divide the U.S today. As opposed to adopting a one-liner approach, Walker uses her images in the form of riddles in that help in depicting the complex issues that are experienced in the U.S today. Coming from the African American ethnic minority, Walker’s images captures most issue that affects the community and women in

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In the case of Jacob Lawrence, his personal style brought the African-American experience to life using contrasts between dark and vivid colors. Nonetheless, two examples of some of his most known paintings include “ The Builders, The Family” and “This is a Family Living in Harlem”. While both paintings are similar in that they both show strong family unity in the African Culture, they are different in the setting where each of the paintings are taking place. Strong family unity is present in, “ The Builders, The Family”, as it shows a nice, well dressed family walking together on their way to either church or their household.

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