This rhythmic quality is carried over to the bottom and right side of the image, where several more geometric shapes and patterns appear, including repeating wavy lines and jagged black forms. Douglas earned the title as the Father of African American Arts for most of his works drew inspiration from African culture. In his later years, Douglas received countless honors. Aaron Douglas was an African American painter and graphic artist who played a leading role in the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. works of art. Find out the African American sculptor who was linked with Harlem Renaissance in Facts about Augusta Savage. He developed the interest of. Although he considered himself agnostic, Johnson wished to pay respect to the black Christian preachers and religious tradition that had been important during his youth. A large bolt of lightning strikes one of the sinners on the left side, while a beam of light, representing enlightenment, shines down on the saved figure on the right. The fetish, the drummer, the dancers, in the formal language of space and color, create the exhilaration, the ecstasy, the rhythmic pulsation of life in ancient Africa." Born in 1899 in Topeka, Kansas, Douglas grew up during a time when African Americans were still expected to work as servants or laborers. Oil on canvas - Schomberg Center for Research in Black Culture. He stated that he was the only black student in University of Nebraska when he won a prize for drawing. All Right Reserved. Douglas also painted some impressive murals (large-scale paintings, often mounted in public places) that display his unique blend of African and modernist techniques and his interest in including elements of African American history, religion, myth, and social issues in his works. 0000013012 00000 n
This is why the concentric circles focus on the cannon, rather than Tubman. 0000013266 00000 n
The way that the star's light shines directly on the group of musicians can also be read as a reference to the importance of Christianity (frequently embodied in slave music) as an important glimmer of hope in the lives of slaves. His defenders pointed out that Douglas's murals were not intended for a white audience that was passively consuming African culture, but rather at "a Black audience many of them New Negroes or New Negroes-in-the-making, who are interested in Africa as part of a quest for dignity, pride and 'self-awareness'". These two central individuals are tilted backwards at a steep angle, creating a more dynamic sensation that captures Douglas's view of African spirituality more than any specific African dance, which typically would pitch the dancers forward. You whore-mongering man - where will you stand? 0000010958 00000 n
This work forms the second of four murals that Douglas created for the135th Street branch of the New York Public Library, commissioned through the Works Progress Administration. © 2020 Kentake Page. 0000001803 00000 n
Winold Reiss was a famous German artist who taught Douglass. 0000003244 00000 n
The cultural historian Glenn Jordan asserts that "The image evokes a sense of community, spirituality, sovereignty and self-determination," which exemplifies the African-American imaginative construct of African life prior to European interference. 0000000016 00000 n
!, the magazine only published one issue. Thanks for subscribing! Around the same time, Douglas worked on a magazine with novelist Wallace Thurman to feature African-American art and literature. Please check your email for further instructions. Music and jazz would continue to be integral aspects of Douglas' works, such as in Song of the Towers (from the series Aspects of Negro Life, 1934). 0000006641 00000 n
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October 1926: Accompanied by “Feet o’ Jesus” by Langston Hughes, a man with two arms raised to the sky. His parents were Elizabeth and Aaron Douglas. At the center of the image stands a large, solid black silhouetted female figure with one hand raised, a pose echoed in the three repeating smaller female figures who are arranged in a row. He contributed illustrations to Opportunity, the National Urban League’s magazine, and to The Crisis, put out by the National Association for the Advancement Colored People. In both his style and his subjects, Aaron Douglas revolutionized African-American art. Douglas's use of African design…. Throughout his career, Douglas was interested in the representation of black women. Continuing to produce new works, Douglas had a number of solo exhibits over the years. This black and white image combines figurative and decorative elements. This woodblock print was part of a commission to illustrate Eugene O'Neill's 1920 play Emperor Jones. 0000002085 00000 n
At the center is the silhouetted female figure of Harriet Tubman, who freed over 400 slaves through her work with the Underground Railroad. 0000016898 00000 n
To either side, he depicts the violence and struggle of slave life. August 1926: An abstract blue illustration. Ten ‘Black Body’ Quotes from Ta-Nehisi Coates’ “Between The World ... Jackie Ormes: The first professional African American woman cartoonist, Mary Annette Anderson: The first African American woman elected to Phi Beta Kappa, THE URBAN SHAMAN: AN INTERVIEW WITH ELLIOTT RIVERA, Ten Quotes by Professor Kaba Kamene (Booker T. Coleman), An Afrikan Story of Self-Love and Integrity, The War on Men Through the Degradation of Woman by Jada Pinkett-Smith. theartworlddaily.com is your first and best source for all of the information you’re looking for. After graduating from Topeka High School in 1917, Douglas attended the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Do you like reading facts about Aaron Douglas? I have restored that which was in ruins. For instance, O'Meally asserts that the concentric circles "may have been inspired by the new technology of the audio-recording," as they mimic the form of vinyl records. At the far-right side of the image stand tall towers, reminiscent of modern skyscrapers. Rendered in a dark shade of green atop the lightest portion of the painting, she provides a focal point for the viewer as her arms stretch upwards, revealing a broken set of shackles. 0000003992 00000 n
Du Bois, among other powerful African Americans of the early 1900s. Douglas completed four black-and-white woodblock images representing his interpretation of the story. They stamp Mr. Douglas as one of the coming American artists."' 0000001324 00000 n
Douglas inherited his mother’s fondness for drawing and painting and decided early in his life that he would like to become an artist, even though prejudice against blacks must have made this goal seem difficult to reach. In high school Douglas took courses that prepared him to study for a fine arts degree in college. July 1927: A wide-format agricultural scene is printed in the center of the cover. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. In 1923, he graduated from University of Kansas with a Bachelor of Arts degree. During the Great Depression he led the guild in negotiations with the Works Progress Administration (WPA), securing Federal contracts for African American artists. That this work was commissioned for the Bennett College for Women may have influenced Douglas's choice to also highlight Tubman. Those who love with African American arts should check Facts about Aaron Douglas. This point of view is seconded by arts professors Deborah Johnson and Wendy Oliver who write, "The only other influence on Douglas that featured as significantly as Africa was jazz, and he both wrote about and painted the jazz musician as a kind of modern African American messiah." The image shows several African-Americans in a natural setting, with trees punctuating the picture plane and foliage above. 0000000916 00000 n
Aaron Douglas, (May 26, 1899—February 2, 1979) was an African American painter and graphic artist who played a leading role in the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. Get facts about Doris Humphrey here. From African Art, we see him using a distinctly Egyptian style, with silhouetted, composite figures in profile arranged in rows. Kentake Page, founded by Meserette Kentake, is a Pan-Afrikan Black history blog that celebrates the diversity of the Afrikan historical experience both on the continent and in the diaspora. There, he pursued his passion for creating art, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1922. 0000011027 00000 n
Aaron Douglas is one of the most important and influential artists of his time. Carl van Vechten, Aaron Douglas, April 10, 1933, photograph, Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University In addition to his illustration work, Douglas explored educational opportunities; after receiving a fellowship from the Barnes Foundation in Pennsylvania, he took time to study African and modern art. National Gallery of Art. The famous African Americans like Dr. Locke and W.E.B. 0000014440 00000 n
Oh, you gambling man - where will you stand? These choices, however, may likely have been as much pragmatic than stylistic, as they allowed him to reduce the number of colors used in the image, which lowered publication costs. Du Bois were attracted with the works of Douglas for he celebrated the folk culture and heritage of African Americans. He had the job after moving to Harlem, New York City in 1925. Facts about Bridget Riley tell you about the notable English painter. Liars and backsliders - where will you stand, In that great day when God's a-going to rain down fire? The combination of both smooth and jagged forms in Douglas's work may be read as an embodiment of jazz music, which, according to O'Meally, is "...a classic sound, one as multifaceted and pristine as a diamond," which simultaneously has "graininess and grumble." More of this collaboration is printed in this issue under “Two Artists.” Later printed in Opportunity Art Folio. Douglas was famous during the Harlem Renaissance due to his amazing talent and skill as an illustrator and painter. He later won other grants to support his artistic endeavors. Aaron Douglas: Liste der werke - Alle Kunstwerke nach Datum 1→10. He was a significant member of the Harlem Renaissance movement of the 1920s and 1930s. Douglas was associated with Harlem Renaissance due to his work in The Crisis and Opportunity where he worked as an illustrator. 0000001937 00000 n
At the same time, Douglas's symbolism remains open-ended and allows for multiple levels of interpretation. 0000002505 00000 n
Before Douglas, no African American artist had created works so unique in style and so affirming of black identity and experience. February 1926: A dramatic illustration of work in a forge.