art and artists of the harlem renassaince

Art and Artists of The Harlem Renassaince

• During the Great Migration of 1914-1918, many rural Americans from South headed to the industrial North for employment opportunities. Among the many new mass congregations in American industrial cities, was Harlem, New York City, a convergence of African-Americans from all over the country.

• The Harlem Renaissance was an expression of African-American social thought and culture which took a place in newly-formed Black community in neighborhood of Harlem. The Harlem Renaissance flourished from early 1920 to1940 and was expressed through every cultural medium-visual art, dance, music, theatre, literature, poetry, history, politics and the consequent "white flight" of Harlem.

Employment of Negroes in Agriculture - Earle Richardson - 1934

• Instead of using direct political means, African-American artists, writers, and musicians employed culture to work for goals of civil rights and equality. Its lasting legacy is that for the first time, African-American paintings, writings, and jazz became absorbed into mainstream culture.

• At the time, it was known as the "New Negro Movement", named after an anthology, entitled The New Negro, of notable African-American works, published by philosopher Alain Locke in 1925.

Les Fetiches - Lois Mailou Jones - 1938

Outstanding Artists of the Harlem Renaissance include (but are not limited to):

• Aaron Douglas

•Archibald Motley Jr.

•William H. Johnson

•Sargent Claude Johnson

•Jacob LawrenceRomare Bearden She-Ra

Some Basic Themes of Art of The Harlem Renaissance

•Interest in African RootsMany artists depict imagined scenes of life of Black people before forced migrations and slavery.

•Search For Unique Ethnic IdentityThe End of Slavery unleashed a torrent of social opportunities and what it meant to be a “Black American” was being debated through artistic expression.

•Remembering The History of SlaveryThe generation of the Harlem Renaissance was the first born after the end of slavery. Many of their parents and grandparents were freed slaves. This family history is frequently expressed in the art of the time period.

•Documenting Emerging African-American Culture in Northern Cities

The massive influx of African-American migrants in the densely populated cities of the North lead to the formation of a totally new culture, expressed in music, literature, religious movements, and local language styles.

Now, let’s look at a few of the principle artists of the Harlem

Renaissance!

Aaron Douglas (1899-1979)•Often called the “Father of African-American Art”

•Well-known for both canvas paintings and massive outdoor Murals

•His art focused mostly on African Heritage and African-American Folk Art

Aaron Douglas (1899-1979)

In an African Setting - Aaron Douglas - 1934

Building More Stately Mansions - Aaron Douglas -1944

Aaron Douglas (1899-1979)

Founding of Chicago – Aaron Douglas

Into Bondage - Aaron Douglas - 1936

Archibald John Motley Jr. (1891-1981)•Unlike many other Harlem Renaissance artists, Archibald Motley, Jr. never lived in Harlem—-he was born in New Orleans and spent the majority of his life in Chicago

•Studied Art in Paris, France

•While many contemporary artists looked back to Africa for inspiration, Motley was inspired by the great European Renaissance Masters.

•Motley’s portraits take the conventions of the Western tradition and update them—allowing for black bodies, specifically black female bodies, a space in a history that had traditionally excluded them.

Archibald John Motley Jr. (1891-1981)

Picnic – Archibald Motley Jr.


Nightlife - Archibald Motley Jr.


Bronzeville By Night - Archibald Motley Jr.

William Henry Johnson (1901–1970)•His father was a wealthy white man who abandoned the family.

•Grew up very poor, with little education.

•His paintings of the African-American experience, focused at first around religious themes.

•As time went on, Johnson began to paint scenes of the everyday life of African-Americans.

William Henry Johnson (1901–1970)

Going To Church - William H. Johnson - 1940-41


Harlem Street - William H. Johnson – 1939-41


Jitterbugs III- William H. Johnson – 1941Street Musicians - William H. Johnson – 1940

Sargent Claude Johnson (1888–1967)•Was one of the first Californian African-American artists to achieve a national reputation

•Was a painter and a sculptor but is more well-known for his sculptures.

•He was known for Abstract and Early Modern styles

•Many of his sculptures have African Heritage themes

Sargent Claude Johnson (1888–1967)

Chester - Sargent Claude Johnson - 1930

Mother and Child - Sargent Claude Johnson - circa 1930

Jacob Lawrence (1917 –2000)•Was born in New Jersey and lived most of his life in Harlem

•Considered the most Influential of the Harlem Renaissance Painters

•Referred to his style as "dynamic cubism", though by his own account the primary influence was not so much French art as the shapes and colors of Harlem.

•Concentrated on depicting the history and struggles of African-Americans

Jacob Lawrence (1917 –2000)

The Legend of John Brown - Jacob Lawrence - 1941

Jacob Lawrence (1917 –2000)

The Capture - Jacob Lawrence The Builders - Jacob Lawrence

Many other artists of the time period became interested in the Art, Music,

and Literature of the Harlem Renaissance

An example of this can be seen in the photography of William Gottlieb

William Paul Gottlieb (1917 -2006)•Photographer and newspaper columnist who is best known for his classic photographs of the leading performers of the "Golden Age" of American jazz in the 1930s and 1940s

•His photographs are among the most well-known and widely reproduced images of this era of jazz

•Took portraits of hundreds of prominent jazz musicians and personalities, typically while they were playing or singing at well-known New York City jazz clubs

William Paul Gottlieb (1917 -2006)

Billie Holiday - William Gottlieb - 1947

Louis Armstrong - William Gottlieb - 1947

William Paul Gottlieb (1917 -2006)

Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzy Gillespie - William Gottlieb - 1947 Duke Ellington - William Gottlieb - 1946

Journal Assignment:Choose 1 question from the list below and write a 2-3 paragraph response to

the Art of the Harlem Renaissance.

1. How is the Art shown in the Presentation similar or different than other Art you have seen? Cite specific artists or styles of contemporary art and specific artists or artworks of the Harlem Renaissance.

2. The Harlem Renaissance had some general themes mentioned in the presentation. How are these themes related to other aspects of the history of the time period previously discussed in class? Cite specific artists or artworks.

3. Think about other class discussions on music and literature of the Harlem Renaissance. Can you describe any Art, Music, or Literature popular today that might have been influenced by the Art, Literature, or Music of the Harlem Renaissance?

art and artists of the harlem renassaince

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