Harlem and Art
The Harlem Renaissance occured in the years between World War I and the Great Depression and the onset of World War II and was a pioneering period for black artistic culture, identity and expression during a time of severe segregation and inequality. With a large occurrance of the discrimination happening in the South, thousands of African-Americans moved North and settled in Harlem, NY, which became the hotbed of artistic expression, forming the Harlem Renaissance.
Artistic expression is a luxury. Time is required for investment into a painting, sculpture, musical composition...and time is a luxury not afforded to many, especially those prevented from certain locations, jobs, accomodations, salaries, and educational opportunities. While segregation, oppression and discrimination were still very much a reality, the community formation of black people in Harlem offered the opportunity for support, education, cultural pride and more financial freedom within the small bubble and as such an uprising of expressive art ballooned.
James Lesene Wells was a prominent graphic artist for over 60 years. Though he produced art before the Great Depression, he was greatly influenced by that time period and began producing affordable and reproduceable art through lithographs, wood cuttings and etchings (Black Art Story). He focused primarily on African-American culture. The print below, named Looking Upward, depicts the struggle faced by black people in northern United States at that time as so many had migrated north into urban areas. The print shows a seemingly lost person in an urban environment looking about while carrying a tray with small buildings on it representative of home. The simplicity of the color and format makes the meaning and feeling of vastness, that much more powerful as well as reflecting the modern cubism style.
![](https://black-artists-in-the-museum.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/1992-151_o4.jpg?w=828)
Gamin--Augusta Savage, 1929 (The Johnson Collection)
Tongues (Holy Rollers)--Archibald John Motley Jr., 1929 (MoMA)
Source:
Profile: James Lesesne Wells (1902-1993) – Black Art Story
The Prints of James Lesesne Wells – Black Artists in the Museum (black-artists-in-the-museum.com)
https://thejohnsoncollection.org/augusta-savage/
https://www.moma.org/collection/works/425483
These are very nice art pieces. I especially like "Gamin". However, I always feel sad when I see a statue without arms, even a bust. "Looking Upward" confuses me. I prefer to have some linear perspective to look at in art."Tongues" also has some nice energy to it. I can almost hear jazz music when I hear it. Some excellent music cam from Harlem!
ReplyDeleteIt's sad to say, but even today, not many people appreciate the cultural impact the Harlem Renaissance had on modern art. I'm glad you showcased some great pieces from it! The symbolism of "Looking Upward" and the soft realism of "Gambin" show just how diverse the Harlem Renaissance was, and you did a great job distinguishing them!
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