Upcoming 51 – Male Artists of the Harlem Renaissance

As a result of a landmark publication titled, “Harlem: Mecca for the New Negro” (March 1925), many African American artists followed the “Great Migration” moving from the South to New York City and other Northern cities in search of opportunities to create art, literature, and music. What resulted was the “Harlem Renaissance” which assured a revolution wherein African Americans gained a major presence in the American fields of writing, music and, of course, art.

We will survey the male artists of the Harlem Renaissance. Aaron Douglas, considered the father of African American Art, was socially motivated, which is the root of his work. William H. Johnson was influenced by primitivism and folk art which allowed him to address difficult social issues. Jacob Lawrence’s work is often blunt in describing the state of humanity. Archibald Motley Jr. chose to portray the urban lives of African Americans in a graphic, humorous style. James Lesesne Wells, a major innovator in printmaking and lithography, viewed prints as an art form that could provide quality art to the masses. Hale Woodruff began his work as a socially active expressionist and evolved into an abstract expressionist, being associated with such other major artists as Gottlieb, Rothko, Line and Pollock.

Deadline: Wed. 9/25 Noon