2. Harlem Renaissance intro Cultivation of African American culture in the 1920’s- 1940’s WWI created many new jobs in industrial areas many African Americans migrated to northern cities, which was called the Great Migration… Archibald Motley Jr. Nightlife. 1943. 36” x 47.8 “ Oil on Canvas. The Art Institute of Chicago.
3. Harlem, New York City Harlem is a borough in New York City and was the epicenter of the Renaissance. During the 1910’s the Great Migration saw thousands of African American’s moving to New York City. Many African Americans were unable to find work in the south, and with WWI thousands of jobs were available to anyone seeking them. Harlem was an area affordable to most and was poverty stricken throughout the 1920’s and hit hard during the Great Depression. Looking from Harlem to the rest of Lower Manhattan
4. Harlem Renaissance Many artists during the Renaissance rejected European and White American views on art and sought to express themselves in there own way. All mediums of artistic expression were used, visual arts, dancing, literature, music, theatre, journalism, and politics. Jacob Lawrence. Migration of the Negro. 1940-41. Tempera on Hardboard. 18” x 12”. The Phillips Collection, Washington D.C.
5. Harlem Renaissance Was a time of great changed and laid the ground work for the Civil Rights movement in the 1950’s and 1960’s. There was not one distinct style of artwork made but several different individual styles emerged and influenced 20th century art for decades to come. After WWI the Great Depression occurred which slowly ended the Harlem Renaissance in the late 30’s and early 40’s but its impact on African American Culture and art history lives on to this day.
6. Harlem Renaissance Artists Aaron Douglas Archibald Motley Henry Bannarn Augusta Savage Jacob Lawrence Charles Alston
7. Aaron Douglas Painter Worked was influenced by modern European, ancient Egyptian and West African Art. Paintings are semi-abstract, feature flat forms, hard edges and repetitive geometric shapes. Called the Dean of African American Painters. Illustrations were found in The New Negro by Alain Locke and The Crisis magazine which was popular among African Americans during the Harlem Renaissance. B. May 26, 1899 -February 3, 1979
8. Aaron Douglas Works Aaron Douglas. Study for Aspects of Negro Life: The Negro in an African Setting. 1934 Gouache, with touches of graphite, on illustration board. Art Institute of Chicago.
9. Aaron Douglas Aaron Douglas, An Idyll of the Deep South, Aspects of Negro LifeSeries. 5’ x 11’ 7” Oil on Canvas. Schomburg Center, New York Public Library, 1934
10. Aaron Douglas Aaron Douglas, Aspects of Negro Life #62: Song of the Towers, 1934, Oil on Canvas.
11. Aaron Douglas Aaron Douglas. Into Bondage. 1936. Oil on canvas. 60 3/8” x 60 ½”.
12. Archibald Motley Famous for his colorful works chronicling of African American experiences during 1920’s and 1930’s. Highly interested in skin tone, and did many paintings of women with different African American Skin tones. Married a white woman and he and his wife were outcaste by their families, and this sparked his interest in color. Night scenes heavily influenced by jazz culture. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana. October 7, 1891- January 16, 1981
18. Jacob Lawrence Referred to his work as “dynamic cubism.” Primary influence was the shapes and colors of Harlem. The migration series in Fortune magazine brought him into the spotlight. Dropped out of high school at 16, and was mentored by Charles Alston. Worked with other Harlem Renaissance artists such as Charles Alston, Henry Bannarn. Worked depicts the struggles and history of African Americans. Works are in permanent collections at The Metropolitan Museum of Art The Museum of Modern art The Whitney Museum Brooklyn Museum. All of these are in NYC.
19. Jacob Lawrence Jacob Lawrence. The Migration of the Negro, panel 1, 1940-41. Casein tempera on hardboard, 12 x 18 in. (30.5 x 45.7 cm). The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C
20. Jacob Lawrence Jacob Lawrence. The Migration of the Negro, panel 3, 1940-41. Casein tempera on hardboard, 12 x 18 in. (30.5 x 45.7 cm). The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.
21. Jacob Lawrence Jacob Lawrence. The Migration of the Negro, panel 14, 1940-41. Casein tempera on hardboard, 18 x 12 in. (45.7 x 30.5 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
22. Jacob Lawrence Jacob Lawrence. The Migration of the Negro, panel 49, 1940-41. Casein tempera on hardboard, 18 x 12 in. (45.7 x 30.5 cm). The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.
23. Jacob Lawrence Jacob Lawrence. The Migration of the Negro, panel 50, 1940-41. Casein tempera on hardboard 18 x 12 in. (45.7 x 30.5 cm), The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
24. Jacob Lawrence Jacob Lawrence. Tombstones, 1942. Gouache on paper, 28 3/4 x 22 1/2 in. (73 x 57.2 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
25. Jacob Lawrence Jacob Lawrence. Self-Portrait, 1977. Gouache and tempera on paper, 23 x 31 in. (58.4 x 78.7 cm). National Academy of Design, New YorkArtwork
26. Augusta Savage Sculptor Teacher & worked for equal rights for African Americans in the arts. Father use to beat her because he thought her sculptures were sinful, he later changed his mind. Opened her own studio in a basement and taught future nationally known artists Jacob Lawrence, Norman Lewis, and Gwendolyn Knight. She had few funds and could not bronze her sculptures so many were destroyed. She opened two galleries that failed which made her stop working as an artist and she moved to a farm outside NYC, and never made another piece of art. February 29, 1892 – March 26, 1962
27. Augusta Savage Augusta Savage. The Harp. Cast Plaster. For the New York Worlds Fair. Destroyed when the fair closed because there was not a facility to hold the work
29. Henry Bannarn Primarily known for his work with sculpture. Equally skilled as a figurist and character artists in various mediums. Taught art at the Harlem community art center. July 17, 1910 – September 20, 1965
32. Charles Alston American artist, muralist, and teacher. Illustrated album covers for Duke Ellington Painted murals all over Harlem, including depression era murals as part of the Works Progress Administration. Directed the Harlem art Workshop with Henry Bannarn.
