In the Early Modern Era of art, there was a movement called the Harlem Renaissance. This took place after WW1 and during the Great Depression. This was a movement where African Americans moved from the South to the North to look for more opportunities for work. "the period is considered a golden age in African American culture, manifesting in literature, music, stage performance, and art" (History 2025). The artwork of this period reflected "these artists' pride in and control over how the Black experience was represented in American culture and set the stage for the civil rights movement" (History 2025). The Harlem Renaissance was not just about painting but also all forms of art, such as musicians, actors, poets, and painters. This was a way for them to express their views to the world, which they had not previously had much experience with. Many of the people who moved to the North moved into predominantly white neighborhoods, and many people moved away when the African Americans moved into their areas. These people were in an unknown area, so they formed their peace and shared their stories through their art, both the positives and the negatives. Jacob Lawrence, A painter who followed the story of how they were treated, was a part of the movement when their family moved to New York. He created 60 paintings that told the stories of the hardships he experienced. In this blog, I am going to showcase three of those paintings.
James Lawrence, The Migration Series No. 3. 1940-1941. tempera on hardboard (Exact size unknown).
Jacob Lawrence, The Migration Series, No. 1. 1940-1941. tempera on hardboard (Exact size unknown).
Jacob Lawrence, The Migration Series No. 22, 1940-1941, tempera on hardboard (30.5x45.7cm).
Jacob Lawrence was considered to be a "young" painter. He finished all of these paintings by age 23 while living in New York. This originally started as a learning experience where he learned about his history, eventually leading him to want to share it with the world. The first two paintings showcased people moving presumably to the North: New York, Chicago, and St. Louis. Many people were experiencing hard times in the South to the point where they were willing to risk it all to move to the North, where there were potentially higher job opportunities. There were roughly 60 million people that moved during this time. The paintings showcase many people with luggage in hand already on their journeys. The second painting shows the different gates to cities where people have to decide where to go next. All the people are painted faceless, representing that they could be anyone and everyone. This is a part of history; these paintings have also made history. Lawrence painted these in a process where "He traced an image in pencil onto each board and brushed them into life with fast-drying tempera, a single stark color at a time, across all 60 boards, first the layers of dark and then light, so that they would be seen as one work, indivisible" (Wilkerson 2015). In the third painting, it showcases three people shackled together. One may assume that this was a painting of their time during slavery, but instead, it was to showcase that they were still not safe to go out at night. In the North, people were very racist, so if an African American was caught outside at night, they were assumed to be guilty and arrested. The three people seem slouched over with their heads resting against the bars. I assume this is because their shoulders are pushed up more, and their heads are lowered or at different angles. Each painting represents emotions and important pieces of history for African Americans. I never learned about history until researching the Harlem Renaissance Movement.
Beauford Delaney, Can Fire in the Park, 1946. oil on canvas (61.0 x 76.2 cm.).
Another example of the Harlem Renaissance Movement is Can Fire in the Park by Beauford Delaney. This was painted in New York, and the "park" is considered the "New York Park". While it looks drastically different from the previous examples, it still tells an important piece of history. The painting shows people standing around a fire, warming their hands. This represents the mass amounts of homelessness in cities. Every part of the painting is covered in great swirls in yellow and blue tones, and only the street signs and maintenance hole covers are kept simplistic. The swirling colors give no actual details but emphasize the figures' postures, making one wonder what their individual stories are (Seiferle 2018). This showcases the continued hardships that people had to experience during this time where: "While no group escaped the economic devastation of the Great Depression, few suffered more than African Americans. Said to be "last hired, first fired," African Americans were the first to see hours and jobs cut, and they experienced the highest unemployment rate during the 1930s. Since they were already relegated to lower-paying professions, African Americans had less financial cushion to fall back on when the economy collapsed" (Klein 2025).
Aaron Douglas, Into Bondage. 1936, oil on canvas, (153.4cm × 153.7 cm).
The final painting I would like to discuss is Into Bondage by Aaron Douglas, which was painted in New York. The Harlem Renaissance Movement was to showcase the current parts of history and all of history, including hopes for the future. This painting represents when people were being sold into slavery. It shows people walking in lines shackled as boats are headed towards them. They are bathed in blue with light beams shining onto them. The light beams represent new beginnings as most are walking with their heads down, slouched over to what is assumed to be their unfortunate new lives.
Each of these paintings showcases different parts of African American lives that many people experienced. The Harlem Renaissance Movement was a part of the end of WW1, The Great Depression, and the Great Migration. While it was a short-lived art style, all the paintings are great treasures to behold, with the deep representation of emotion not shown through facial expressions but rather the play on color and body positionings. While it is unclear, it leaves the interpretation up to the viewer. Each shows different points in time, and each shows different hardships that were experienced. However, in all of them, it shows power and resilience. They show a collective strength that transcends individual suffering, inspiring us with their resilience and determination.
Bibliography
Klein, Christopher. “Last Hired, First Fired: How the Great Depression Affected African Americans.” History.Com, A&E Television Networks, 18 Feb. 2025, www.history.com/articles/last-hired-first-fired-how-the-great-depression-affected-african-americans.
“Harlem Renaissance.” History.Com, A&E Television Networks, 27 Mar. 2025, www.history.com/articles/harlem-renaissance.
Seiferle, Rebecca. “Harlem Renaissance Art Overview.” The Art Story, 23 Dec. 2018, www.theartstory.org/movement/harlem-renaissance/.
Wilkerson, Isabel. “‘Jacob Lawrence: The Migration Series,’ by Leah Dickerman and Elsa Smithgall.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 24 June 2015, https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/28/books/review/jacob-lawrence-the-migration-series-by-leah-dickerman-and-elsa-smithgall.html
Tiambria,
ReplyDeleteExcellent job on your early modern era blog. I genuinely enjoyed reading this blog and all the details pertaining to each painting and I can clearly see and understand the influences of African Americans in this era. I actually also chose to write about the Harlem renaissance and picked two of the same artists you picked, Aaron Douglas and Jacob Lawrence. The art painted during this movement really intrigued me as it showcased not only the history of African Americans but also the re-birth of African traditions. What appeals to me the most about the first works of art presented is the usage of realism to demonstrate the reality of African Americans during that time. The second work of art is so interesting to look at, all the different colors and the way they are all standing by the fire, it really catches the viewers eye. I think the painting shows vibrant colors while also having a melancholy scene. The last work of art is truly so sad to me. I think the light casting against the man's face demonstrates the light at the end of the tunnel, or the hope that he's holding unto. Great job on your blog!
I appreciated how you connected the Harlem Renaissance artworks to the more profound stories behind them, especially Jacob Lawrence’s faceless figures symbolizing shared experience. That interpretation stuck with me.
ReplyDeleteI also liked how you described Beauford Delaney’s swirling brushwork and what it conveyed about life during the Great Depression. The emotional weight of each piece came through clearly in your analysis, and I agree that these works express resilience through more than just facial expressions. Your blog made me think more about how art preserves history and emotion simultaneously.
Hello Tiambria,
ReplyDeleteThank you for this blog. I see you put a lot of effort into it and I had a good time learning through reading this. What appeals to me the most is the use of realism in the migration series pieces by James Lawrence. It shows the very cruel but very real conditions that African Americans were forced into.I did not know before reading this that around 60 million African Americans that moved away from the south to places like New York, Chicago, and St. Louis due to the harsh conditions present in the south. I learned something new today so thank you again.
I really enjoyed reading your post! It is very thoughtful and detailed when it comes to the Great Depression and the Influence of African Americans. Although Jacob Lawrence used simple shapes, he was still able to create an emotionally heavy collection of pieces in his “The Migration Series”. One painting that stood out to me was the people shackled together. It’s sad to think that there are still factors that prevent regular people from truly living. I think this is what made the Harlem Renaissance very important; it allowed the representation of cultural identity and self-expression. I believe that without this foundation, important events like the Civil Rights Movement wouldn’t have occurred. The influence of African Americans in art continues to inspire a lot of artists even now. If you’re interested in philosophical and fun animation relating to the topic, Pixar’s “Soul” is an incredibly beautiful movie.
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