Blue Beach Art & Aesthetics 4/2/13

Barrett Ch.4 Anal&Interp

IMAGES: Artist, Jacob Lawrence (source: http://www.tfaoi.com/aa/2aa/2aa302.htm )

IMAGE 1 10 points Jacob Lawrence,

Harriet Tubman series No. 10, 1939-40, Casein tempera on gessoed hardboard, (Hampton University Art Museum, Hampton, Virginia)

Description: This painting is one of a series that the artist did concerning famed African American icon Harriet Tubman. The work falls in the vein of a majority of Lawrences work which centered around the great figures of black culture in America. This dark colored work is representative of the style of painting that Lawrence himself dubbed as "Cubist" in nature. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Lawrence) It depicts a figure, Tubbman, on a rocky outcrop reaching toward a radiant, star filled sky in a gesture that simultaneously appears hopeful and defiant.

Subject Matter: The subject of this work is Civil Rights icon Harriet Tubman. Tubman was an escaped slave who became a leading abolitionist before the American Civil War. Tubman not only was a key figure in the liberation of many slaves but also a Union spy during the Civil War. (harriettubmanbiography.com) Medium: The medium that Lawrence used for this work is Casein Tempera which is commonly utilized as a form of glue. (ogumc.org/wp-content/casein-tempera) Casein is an organic compound that is generally made from curds of milk. (www.jacobandgwenlawrence.org/teaching04.html) Form: The form in this work is one of near "coloring book" style. There is no utilization of outline for object seperation, instead a stark contrast of block colorization is used. The artist accomplishes the desired compositional necessities in the same manner, puzzle peice color. Tone is used to great effect in this same fashion with a dark pallette overall. The values are consistant to the tone while the main texture is one of messy appeal. A quite flat work, non the less we are given a sense of mass and space via the juxtaposition of color, block shapes and interelation of objects. Context: The context of the work seems obvious, although if one considers the fact that this work is one in a series, it gives way to a variety of interpretations of its place. As one in a series we could simply say that the work is #10 in a series of X works done by the artist during year of our Lord, etc. This would not do justice to the individual work, the artist nor the series of paintings. If a person is not African American by birth it is nearly impossible to have the same perspective towards certain events, people and places in U.S. history. Harriet Tubman would be one of those figures. The context of this work, and series, in the eyes of a person of color, who may still have living relatives who can recall the devistation of the effects of slavery, is going to have a very different concept of this work than an "Anglo" will. The context of this peice from my meager perspective, is one of pride, respect, exhaultation, admiration and rememberance. The beauty of this work is that it transcends the "Art World" and stands in the greater context of human history.

IMAGE 2 10 POINTS Jacob Lawrence, Harriet Tubman series No. 4, 1939-40, Casein tempera on gessoed hardboard, (Hampton University Art Museum, Hampton, Virginia)

Description: As with the previous peice, this is a painting by Jacob Lawrence with the subject matter of Harriet Tubman and her impact. The painting, like others in the series, is intended to tell an overall story, sequentially. Lawrence effectively painted the Tubman works, as he did with his more famous "Migration" series, as a means of telling the story of iconic Negro heroinne Harriet Tubman. (http://www.jacobandgwenlawrence.org/edu_lesson01a_body.html) This work is No. 4 in the series that tells the story of Harriet Tubman, "A distinctive feature of Lawrences paintings is his usage of a narrative,

historical documentary." Casey Cassidy, http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1993/4/93.04.08.x.html

Subject Matter: The subject of the work is four black painted figures engaged in a joyous and exhuberant round of dance. Titled as part of the Harriet Tubman series this particular work does not depict its namesake. Medium: As with other paintings in this series, Lawrence utilizes Casein Tempera, a versitile medium that can be mixed with a wide variety of bonders or vehicles. Form: Again, Lawrence refrains from the utilizing of line, shade and shadow and instead focuses on the blocking in of colors to create his effects. The brushwork of the color blocking is left evident and a seemingly simplistic brush work gives us the effect of a child like style of painting. There isn't much in the way of composition as the four figures are simply placed in a circle, however perspective is achieved by simply placing figures higher on the picture plane. Context: This painting as with the others in the Tubman series were done as a story line in which the life and accomplishments of "the Moses of her people" are depicted.

www.jacobandgwenlawrence.org/edu_lesson01a_body.html
IMAGE 3 10 POINTS Frederick Douglass series No. 21, 1938-39, Casein tempera on gessoed hardboard, Hampton University Art Museum, Hampton, Virginia)

Description: In Lawrence's own words: "If at times my productions do not express

the conventionally beautiful, there is always an effort to express the universal beauty of man's continuous struggle to lift his social position and to add dimension to his spiritual being."
http://www.tfaoi.com/aa/2aa/2aa302.htm This is a painting of famed Civil Rights leader and former slave, Frederick Douglass. The work portrays Douglass in a room, penning what may have well been one of the many books that he authored, or possibly one of many correspondances with U.S. Presidents or other dignitaries. The composition is more cluttered than some of the other work Lawrence created but has the telling perspective that he often used, putting Douglass higher on the picture plane than other objects in scene.

Subject Matter: Frederick Douglass. Genius, Iconic Civil Rights Leader, Author, Goverment Official, Former Slave. Iconic leader Frederic Douglass is the focal point of this painting and he is depicted engaged in one of the activities that brought him fame and acclaim, writing. (http://www.biography.com/people/frederickdouglass-9278324?page=4) Medium: Sometimes overlooked, the vehicle that carries the subject of Frederick Douglass in this work is not only the Casein tempera, or the gessoed board, but also the concept of "series". Famously Lawrence utilized the medium of series to convey deeper thought, feeling and message than mere paint alone can accomplish. Here this medium is used to utmost effect. Form: The simplified nature of the rendering of subject matter is one that Lawrence came to be known for. As he said himself, the paintings may not be of a traditional vein of "beauty" but stylistically they are coherant and cohesive in their fait accompli. No outline, no overt utilization of line for forms affect, just simplified blocked in color and simple composition. Powerfully effective in its starkness. Context: This work, dedicated to the predecessor of Malcom X and Martin Luther King Jr., is one in a series of paintings that Lawrence became masterful at executing. The peice was painted during the late 1930's, a time in American history that was not at all kind to those of African descent. There was as of yet no "Civil Rights Movement" to speak of, and this setting further strenghtens the sublimity of the subject. Not until WWII would African Americans even begin to be considered in any way as "equal" to whites, no matter what the Emancipation Proclaimation or Bill of Rights said. The fact that this series, and all the works that Lawrence constructed, were done by a Black male from Harlem prior to the 1960's and recieved acclaim is a major coup by any stretch of the imagination. The context of the work is one of shame, culturally and ethically for America.

IMAGE 4 10 POINTS Frederick Douglass series No. 13, 1938-39, Casein tempera on gessoed hardboard, Hampton University Art Museum, Hampton, Virginia)

Description: This work is a painting from a series of such works by Lawrence that focused on the life and times of famous Civil Rights icon, Frederick Douglass. As with many other works that Jacob Lawrence composed, this peice is done on hardboard, utilizing a versitile type of tempera called Casein. Chronologically this work falls in with a number of other series works which were early on in the artists development. "Including these series, Lawrence created five

historical sequences overall; the other three are Toussaint L'Ouverture, 193738; The Migration of the Negro, 1940-41; and John Brown, 1941" (http://www.tfaoi.com/aa/2aa/2aa302.htm) This particular painting
depicts the moments that will inevitable end with the lives of the slaves who are in tow in the scene. A haunting yet accurate portrayal of life for Negros at the time.

Subject Matter: As Lawrence was wont to do in his series paintings, he here depicts events that give us some context of not just the namesake, Douglass, but also of the time in history that the individual occupied. During the life and times of Frederick Douglass,

it would not have been at all unusual for African Americans to be rounded up if they were engaged in fleeing or if they were being carted off for sale or being punished for whatever sin their Anglo oppressors deemed a transgression. The white "Mr. Charlies" are seen high on horse, leading their tortured property before an agast, yet gawking crowd of onlookers. Medium: "The medium is the message", Marshall McLuhan. Not necessarily the case when it comes to the work of Jacob Lawrence, but his steadfast utilization of tempera may give us some insight into the context of the work. During this time in the U.S. (19301940's) an African American painter from Harlem, the choice and use of materials would have been not just an aesthetic issue, but also one of necessity. Lawrence made all of his tempera paint himself as we are told by Elizabeth Steele, "It was in these depression-era centers that he

became familiar with tempera paints, various papers, illustration board, and hardboard, and the appearance of his work is strongly influenced by his choice of media. Of great significance is his exclusive use of opaque, water-based paints, which dictates the techniques that he has developed for creating lively compositions from two-dimensional shapes. Of equal importance is his process, which is meticulous and consistent, so consistent, in fact, that the formula he follows for building a composition has changed little from the beginning of his career. Rather than change, his working method has matured over the years. This study seeks to document Lawrence's approach to his materials and techniques over a sixty-year period." http://www.jacobandgwenlawrence.org/RESEARCH02B_BODY.HTML

Forms: I think that the author at phillipscolletion.org gives one of the best and most telling descriptions of the form and nature of Lawrences work with this statement: "Searing in their immediacy, the works

show only essential imagery. Flattened, angular forms, strong diagonals, and contrasts of light and shadow contribute to the dynamism of the images. Although Lawrence used a limited palette, he arranged the colors to form focal points to direct the viewer's attention. Some pictures are self-contained; others are more expansive. As the narrative unfolds, from image to image, the vantage point, compositions, and details changein a manner reminiscent of a film. In some panels, figures dominate; in others, the setting propels the story. The people are not individualized; rather, they represent collective characteristics. However, Lawrence never lost sight of the human drama. In all of his work, the human content is paramount." http://www.phillipscollection.org/research/american_art/artwork/LawrenceMigration_Series2.htm

Context: The context of this painting is one which Lawrence would have been all too familiar with...the United States racist South. The painting is one in a series on the life of Frederick Douglass, painted early on in the career of Lawrence. It is painted during a time when

there were few African American artists that got much, if any recognition.

INTERPRETATION 10 POINTS
As part of your interpretation of these works (they are related as a body of works) include answers to these questions: For whom was it created? The series was created for African Americans, mostly the generation who saw many of the events depicted. They were also a form of communicating to the broader audience of Americans who knew little, if anything of the Negro struggle, i.e., whites. Specifically, Lawrence made the paintings for his own community in Harlem, NY. For whom does it exist? The work exists for us all as a record of the great lives, struggles and accomplishments of these great American heroes. Primarily the work exists specifically for Blacks that live in the Harlem area of New York City. Personally, I think they exist for the world, as they depict an important and triumphant spirit and subject. Who is represented? Primarily African Americans, and more specifically A.A. iconic heroes and those involved in the lives of these folks. Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass and those who would have been involved in the life an times of these individuals. Who is doing the telling? The hearing? The telling is done by a black male and the hearing should be done by us all.