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, Les Fetiches - Lois Mailou Jones - 1938
published by philosopher Alain Locke in
1925.
  
Outstanding Artists of the
Harlem Renaissance include
(but are not limited to):

• Aaron Douglas

•Archibald Motley Jr.

•William H. Johnson

•Sargent Claude Johnson

•Jacob Lawrence
Romare Bearden She-Ra
 Some Basic Themes of Art of The
Harlem Renaissance
•Interest in African Roots
Many artists depict imagined scenes of life of Black people before forced migrations and slavery.

•Search For Unique Ethnic Identity

The 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 Slavery

The 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)

Into Bondage - Aaron Douglas - 1936

Founding of Chicago – Aaron Douglas
 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.
Archibald John Motley Jr. (1891-1981)

Nightlife -
Archibald
Motley Jr.
Archibald John Motley Jr. (1891-1981)

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
William Henry Johnson (1901–
1970)

Harlem Street -
William H. Johnson
– 1939-41
 William Henry Johnson (1901–1970)

Street Musicians - William H. Johnson – 1940

Jitterbugs III- William H. Johnson – 1941
 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 Louis Armstrong - William Gottlieb - 1947

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?