Harlem: Not Just Home to the Globetrotters

The Harlem Renaissance was one of the greatest culture movements of modern day history. With the mass migration of African Americans from the south to the north, a new economic freedom started to arise with African American. With the rise of economic standing, art flourishes. Culture hotspots started to develop within the African American community in the north. One of these hotspots was Harlem district in New York City. This was the hub of African American culture in the north and had a huge influence on art coming out of this area. Many of artwork from this area depicted life back in the south. This renaissance made sure that the trials and tribulations of the African American people would not be forgotten. As a result, much of the artwork has slavery of freedom subject matters. When looking at the exhibits below, keep in mind the subject matter of the works as they all relate to the lifestyles or history of the African American people.

 

Aspects of Negro Life: Songs of the Towers by Aaron Douglas

Some of the greatest paintings to come out of the Harlem Renaissance were the Aspects of Negro Life series by Aaron Douglas. Aaron Douglas was huge Harlem Renaissance activist and was one of the first to grow the Harlem Renaissance in New York City. His series, Aspects of Negro Life, were a series of four large-scale murals painted in 1934 as a result of the Works Progress Administration for New York Public Library’s 135^th Street branch, which is now known as the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Aspects of Negro Life: From Slavery Through Reconstruction depicts the former life of the African Americans before the abolishment of slavery. It shows the turmoil and shows what look like African Americans working in cotton fields. It also shows a man pointing to where the people show go. Aspects of Negro Life: Songs of the Towers is another great piece of work by Aaron Douglas. It depicts a man fleeing from slavery and to a big city. This is symbolic of the move of many African Americans during this time period from the south to the north, particularly Harlem in New York City. The person in the mural is also holding a saxophone, a popular instrument in the new jazz style in Harlem. This further shows the influence of the African American population and the Harlem Renaissance movement during this time period. I like all four pieces from the series Aspects of Negro Life, but my favorite is Songs of the Towers. This symbolic mural wraps almost everything to do with the African American culture of the time into one. The person running symbolizes the run from the south and slavery. The man in the middle holding up his hands toward the city shows that African American population found “salvation” in New York City. Finally, the saxophone depicts the influence of African American community in Harlem district of New York City.

 

Going to Church by William Johnson

Going to Church by William Johnson was another great piece of Harlem Renaissance. William Johnson’s history of art changed throughout his career as an artist. As a result, his work has been influenced by many different events during his life time. In his early works, many of the paintings were influenced by German Expressionism and Impressionism. His early works were considered Van Gogh like and the subject of them were landscapes with long visible brushstrokes. As you can clearly see, this is NOT how Going to Church is painted. Going to Church is clearly a different style and had different influences behind it. Painted in 1941, Going to Church is a blocky style painting. In 1938, Johnson moved from Europe and his European influences to New York where Harlem started influencing his work. As a result, the style of his paintings started to change as seen in Going to Church. The subject of his paintings started becoming areas of home or his culture back in South Carolina. In Going to Church, a family of four is going to church on their ox or cattle. The blocky style of painting with bold colors also symbolizes quilts made by African American women. African American women would patches pieces of cloth together to make their quilts and the painting style of Going to Church mimics that. Overall, Going to Church had a large influence from Harlem through William Johnson’s painting style to remember home. I personally like the painting. Some critics say it is “childlike” or “primitive” and I agree with them! But that doesn’t make it bad art. The factor of the matter is that this style of painting was never really seen before. Although not popular at the time, it stuck out just enough to stay alive and make it into the history books.

 

And the Migrants Kept Coming by Jacob Lawrence 

Born in 1917 and in New Jersey, Jacob Lawrence was born in the setting of the Harlem Renaissance. Although he might have not been directly born in Harlem, ties from the Harlem Renaissance and African American movement to his artwork are very apparent from an early age. In 1941, when Jacob Lawrence was 24, he created And the Migrants Kept Coming. This work of art depicts clearly African American migrants waiting for the train with luggage. It is thought that the people at the train station are moving from the south to the north in attempt to seek economic freedom and escape the old entrapment of the south. Although Jacob Lawrence was not born in the south, this influence from the African American movement to the north and the Harlem Renaissance influenced his work greatly. This work of art was one of many in a series called the Migration Series. This series was a series of paintings depicting the move or migration of the African American migrants from the south to the north. These were all influenced by the Harlem Renaissance as ties back to the African American culture and history were a strong subject matter in Harlem. I like this piece a similar way I do the last. This style feels more quintessential African American style of the artwork. It is also very powerful while being very undetailed. With this, I appreciate the art less from an aesthetic view, but a meaning viewpoint.  

 

Works Cited

“Treasures of The New York Public Library.” Treasures of The New York Public Library. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 July 2014. <http://exhibitions.nypl.org/treasures/items/show/170>.

Libby. “Jitterbugs–William H. Johnson’s World on Paper at PMA.” Theartblog. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 July 2014. <http://www.theartblog.org/2007/05/jitterbugs-william-h-johnsons-world-on-paper-at-pma/>.

Cotter, Holland. “Visions Of a People In Motion.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 27 Dec. 2007. Web. 20 July 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/28/arts/design/28lawr.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0>.