The Harlem Renaissance
In honor of Black History Month, we will be discussing the Harlem Renaissance movement today! The Harlem Renaissance was a movement that sought to bring visibility to the growing African American culture during the 1920s and 30s. This movement uncovers an entirely new style of art that connects contemporary art by African Americans to the art of ancient Africa.
Disclaimer: I don't pretend to be an expert on any of the topics that I discuss on this blog. That being said, I spent a lot of time researching the Harlem Renaissance outside of what very little I already knew so that I could present you with accurate information. There is so much that went on in this movement that it is hard to capture it all, so please pardon me if I leave something out by accident!
What’s the story
In the neighborhood of Harlem, New York City a movement begun that united African American artists, musicians, and writers with a common cause, creating art that spoke to the African American identity. This movement, the Harlem Renaissance began in the 1920s after the effects of the Great Migration in 1910 and the Red Summer of 1919. The Great Migration was the movement of African American families away from the south to cities in the north and midwest. This migration was made as an attempt to get away from the widespread discrimination that was occurring in the south and make a new start in a new location. Unfortunately, the Red Summer in 1919 was proof that it would not be that easy for African Americans to escape discrimination. The Red Summer saw mobs of white people attacking, terrorizing, and lynching African Americans in the major northern cities. In New York City especially the Red Summer became a catalyst for the Harlem Renaissance because African Americans realized that they wanted to identify themselves in their community and stand up to those terrorizing them by making themselves visible. So, the Harlem Renaissance was born. It created writers and poets like Langston Hughes and musicians like Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. It also gave freedom to artists like Aaron Douglas, James Van Der Zee, Jacob Lawerence, and others to create works of art that told their story.
Unfortunately, it took a lot of time before these artists were safe and recognized in the community. The first wave of Harlem Renaissance artists actually spent most of their time in Europe, specifically Paris. Even though they were all American artists and did not subscribe to the European ideals for art because they were determined to create their own style, that would be exclusive to the Harlem Renaissance. When the artists that we recognize were a part of the movement it had mostly moved back to the United States, which actually also helped New York City become the new center of the art world.
[figure 1] Pablo Picasso, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, 1907, oil on canvas, 243.9 x 233.7cm, Museum of Modern Art
The purpose of the Harlem Renaissance was to celebrate African American culture and identity at its core. This movement did that in many ways. The first thing that happened was a "claiming" of African art. Up to this point, and still, during the Harlem Renaissance, there were many artists who were using tribal masks from Africa as a way of adding something new and different to their artwork. We see this a lot in contemporary art, which was more focused on color, line and shapes, and these tribal masks just "ticked boxes" because they added texture to scenes [figure 1]. So, it was important for African American artists to link their contemporary art to the ancient African art that was being disrespectfully used by other contemporary artists. One example of this is Meta Warrick's sculpture, Ethiopia Awakening [figure 2]. It does not use African masks but it is a unification between contemporary sculpture and the style of Egyptian sculpture.
[figure 2] Meta Warrick Fuller, Ethiopia Awakening, 1914, bronze, 67x16x10 in, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture New York Public Library
The Harlem Renaissance also sought to combat racism in the ways that it manifested in the north, as well as the larger discrimination African Americans faced in the south. To do this, many of the works of art that come from the Harlem Renaissance tell the story of what their ancestors went through as human beings who were removed from their homes and forced into slavery. Since that time African Americans actively made an effort to preserve their culture and their traditions. Those efforts are only heightened in the Harlem Renaissance as these artists now had the freedom to express themselves however they wanted with even more visibility.
Meet some of the artists
Aaron Douglas (1899-1979) riffed on the art deco style to create his works. They are geometric with a minimal palette and they aim to capture important moments in African American history while also alluding to the evolution of their culture through time. Two of his paintings that are great examples of this are Let My People Go and Aspiration [figures 3 and 4].
[figure 3] Aaron Douglas, Let My People Go, 1935-39, oil on masonite, 121.9 x 91.4cm, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
[figure 4] Aaron Douglas, Aspiration, 1936, oil on canvas, 152.4 x 152.4cm, Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco
Let My People Go depicts the story of Moses fleeing Egypt with the slaves at the moment where Moses calls out to God, asking for help [figure 3]. In the foreground the use of darker colors indicates that the soldier we see there is on the side of the Pharoh, chasing down Moses and the slaves, ready to recapture them. The themes in this story definitely align with the idea of escaping the past injustices and making a new start that is perpetuated in the Harlem Renaissance.
Aspiration is not an exact moment in history because it is more like a summation of African American history [figure 4]. If we start at the bottom of the painting we see the hands of slaves, waving, in the darkest color of the palette. Moving up from there we see a platform with three figures, holding objects that signify literature, science, and architecture, meant to imply that these are people who are making a difference in the world. The figure in the middle points us to the next level, where we see a building, in the distance, that may be a stand-in for the idea of Utopia. The star below it is guiding the three figures to their intended destination and shining a light on their path.
[figure 5] Archibald Motley, Black Belt, 1934, oil on canvas, 83.8 x 102.9cm, Hampton University Museum
Archibald Motley’s (1891-1981) works create a window into the happenings during the Harlem Renaissance. Most of his paintings are set in cityscapes because they depict the growth of African American culture that happened in places where the Harlem Renaissance was the strongest. While his art often appears very upbeat, he also uses repetitive imagery and un-idealized figures so that the message of oppression and fear are always an underlying theme. One work that we can look at to dissect Motley's techniques is Black Belt [figure 5].
Black Belt depicts a street in Chicago in the "Black Belt" neighborhood where there were many jazz clubs and other nightlife activities that helped the Harlem Renaissance boom. People are shown walking in couples, driving through town, and the man in the front just dropped his papers, and the police officer next to him is helping to pick them up. It may feel like a lighthearted scene at first - especially if your eye is stuck on the couple in the front right of the painting - but when you take a second look it feels like the excitement is missing, like something is weighing heavily on the crowd as a whole. If you look closer you may notice the man right next to the happy couple who is slouched over from exhaustion, looking very defeated. The rest of the characters are spaced out as well, almost as if they are isolated from each other. This juxtaposition of the ambiance of a night out and the underlying despair of the characters present is jarring once it becomes clear.
James Van Der Zee (1886-1983) became known for his portrait photography during the Harlem Renaissance. He gained notoriety following World War I as he did portraits for the rising middle class of Harlem. Although most of his photographs were carefully and purposefully constructed, he did this to emphasize that African American lives were not that different from everyone else's lives. A great example of his efforts is his photograph Couple in Raccoon Coats [figure 6].
[figure 6] James Van Der Zee, Couple in Raccoon Coats, 1932, gelatin silver print, 19 x 23.7cm, Museum of Modern Art
Couple in Raccoon Coats is a portrait of a young African American couple in raccoon coats standing outside, in front of their Cadillac [figure 6]. They are both looking straight into the camera and in the photograph, they are framed by the outline of the car. Both their coats and their car are indicative of their status. They are a fashionable young couple who are doing well and supporting themselves. This message very clearly resonates with the ideas of the Harlem Renaissance, where there is a growth of representation of African American identity in Harlem and the other cities. This photograph specifically also popularized raccoon coats in the Harlem Renaissance scene, and soon, every club go-er was wearing one.
Why is it important to art history?
Discussing the Harlem Renaissance is so important, especially during Black History Month and especially in light of the Black Lives Matter movement that grew so much in 2020. It's important because art history is, essentially, the culmination of the cultural history of the world. Through art history, we can see every side of the story and not just the side of the winners. Art has always had the ability to give a voice to the voiceless because it is more about expression and intention. What I mean by this is that emotions, when strongly expressed, can draw so much more attention than speeches or literature. When you can feel an artist’s pain or insecurities in a work of art you can just begin to understand how they experience the world.
The Harlem Renaissance is a movement that has technically ended at this point, but, in theory, it still exists. African American artists, musicians, actors, and writers are still fighting to establish their individual identity within the current culture. Right now we call it representation, but it’s the same idea they had in the Harlem Renaissance. Creating art celebrates the African American culture, it brings visibility to the discrimination they are facing, and it allows them to express themselves however they want to.
How can you form your own perspective?
The best thing to do to form your perspectives, in any situation really, is to keep an open mind. With the Harlem Renaissance in mind, remember that it was more than just visual arts. It encompassed so much more than that, so if the visual arts don't get the message across clearly, check out the music and literature that came from the Harlem Renaissance as well.
Form your perspective by understanding where these African American artists were coming from and what they were trying to achieve with their artwork. Take some time, like I did, to learn more about the Harlem Renaissance and maybe find a piece that resonates with you and share it with a friend. Start the conversation!
"African American Art: Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights Era, and Beyond, Smithsonian American Art Museum, https://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/african-american-2012
"Harlem Renaissance", National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., https://www.nga.gov/education/teachers/lessons-activities/uncovering-america/harlem-renaissance.html
Seiferle, Rebecca "Harlem Renaissance Art Movement Overview and Analysis", The Art Story, Dec 23, 2018, https://www.theartstory.org/movement/harlem-renaissance/
