Behind the Movement: the Harlem Renaissance

Creating this blog, I set out to both get personal experience in art writing, but also to use my (hopefully) career to bring focus to diverse figures in the history of art. I noticed the lack of exposure towards artists of color, queer artists, and women artists, both in my studies and in the world of art in general, and decided that I absolutely wanted to dedicate an aspect of my studies in this field to highlighting these figures. Having an education rooted in traditional western art history, I have learned an overarchingly white version of the history of art. Thus it’s definitely important for me to seek alternative forms of educating myself on art by artists of color. So, in this post, we’ll be talking about the Harlem Renaissance, one of the most important movements of Modern art history. 

Origins

The Harlem Renaissance was the development of Harlem in New York City as a black cultural centre throughout the 1920s. It began due to an increase in African Americans relocating to New York, particularly from the South, where racism, lack of opportunities, lynching, and segregation made the region practically uninhabitable; Harlem became the most popular district with black people, and became the focal point of black theatre jazz, blues, fiction, poetry, and visual arts. 

The movement grew out of ideas by thinkers such as W.E.B. du Bois. At the time, it was known as the “New Negro Movement”, after the 1925 anthology by Alain Locke. It was connected to multiple artistic forms: literature, music, theatre, and of course, visual art. Though focused in New York, the movement affected many cities throughout North America and Europe. Fundamentally, the movement emphasized the conceptuality of “the negro” as concepted by blacks themselves. It aimed to eliminate harmful, racist characterizations and stereotypes formed by white people. 

In terms of visual art, works from the Harlem Renaissance had more in common conceptually than stylistically. Most of these artists developed their own style, often inspired by classical and modern European styles and also African motifs. We see a lot of figuratism and even near abstraction, but hyper-realistic depictions as well. Like the rest of the movement, painting, photography, and sculpture did not conform to a strict style. Works were brought together by a shared interest: the black identity. Let’s take a look at some of the artists involved:

Aaron Douglas

Douglas helped conceptualize the concept of the new Negro, adding his illustrations of black life to Locke’s anthology. He was a painter, known for his mural paintings and designs for other black publications. He taught at Fisk University and founded their art department. His art addressed racial issues caused by segregation. One of his best-known works a series of four murals painted for the New York Public Library’s 135^th Street branch, was Aspects of Negro Life. The mural incorporates themes of African sculpture, jazz, and dance, and contains four scenes: The Negro in an African Setting portrays African tribal dancing; An Idyll of the Deep South shows a guitarist and banjo and other singers and dancers; From Slavery Through Reconstruction is a scene of an orator addressing slaves who are picking cotton; and Song of the Towers depicts a figure fleeing serfdom and a saxophonist looking towards the Statue of Liberty while standing on the wheel of life. 

Archibald John Motley Jr.

Motley’s work depicted vibrant scenes of dancehalls, nightlife, and jazz during the 1920s and 30s. His work depicted characters of diverse races and social classes, with his poignant, intense, complex style. Originally from New Orleans, he moved to Chicago when he was young and went on to study at the School of Art Institute there, where he was one of the first black artists to attend. His style found influence in Renaissance art, but his later work, after the 1930s, shifted to a non-traditional style. He won a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1929. 

Augusta Savage

Born in Florida, to a poor family, Augusta Savage was discouraged from pursuing her love of art. After years of turmoil in her marriage and family life, she moved to New York. There, practically penniless, she worked as an apartment caretaker while attending the Cooper Union School of Art. She earned a reputation during the Harlem Renaissance as a portrait sculptor. She sculpted prominent figures in society and friends and family alike. Her idealistic, humanizing portrayal of young black people was revolutionary; black children could see themselves as subjects of fine art in way that had practically never been done before.

Later in life, she established the Savage Studio of Arts and Crafts and became a teacher in Harlem. She was the first black member of the National Association of Women Painters and Sculptors. Savage was also commissioned by the New York World Fair to create a work for the event. For the fair, she spent two years creating the sculpture, The Harp, which celebrated black musicians. After the fair ended, like the rest of the artworks displayed, the piece was demolished. Despite few of her works surviving today, Savage’s artistic skill and her realistic, intimate portraits have not been forgotten. Her ability to capture important themes in African American existence and important members of Harlem society is widely celebrated today.

Beauford Delaney

An important figure throughout modern art, Beauford Delaney participated in many movements besides the Harlem Renaissance, including abstract expressionism. Delaney was best known for his portraiture. He moved to New York because of the renown of the movement, and gained recognition with creatives in the city. He had his first one-man show at the 135^th street branch of the New York Public Library, and had a one-man exhibition in 1938 at a gallery in Washington D.C. His art depicted urban scenes, interiors, and people around him. As a black queer man, he was also part of the bohemian queer scene of Greenwich Village, but he kept his identity concealed from his Harlem associates, worried about how they would respond to his homosexuality. 

Later in life, he moved to Paris and explored European modernism, becoming a crucial member of the European Abstract Expressionists. 

James Van Der Zee

Another extremely prominent figure in the movement was James Van Der Zee. He was a photographer who took portraits of black New Yorkers and important proponents of the Harlem Renaissance. His work also highlighted members of the black middle class, captured with traditional idealistic techniques. He was possibly the most well-known photographer from the Harlem Renaissance, and exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum in New York in his lifetime at the exhibition Harlem on My Mind. Art Historian Sharon Patton expressed he not only documented the Harlem Renaissance but helped to create it as well. He carefully retouched his photos, trying to “see that every picture was better-looking than the person”.

Loïs Mailou Jones

Starting out as a textile designer and then shifting to painting, Lois Mailou Jones studied art at the School of the Museum of Fine Art in Boston. Forbidden from entering art competitions as a black woman, she had to have her white friends hand in submissions. Her work centred around African and Caribbean themes, painting portraiture and landscapes alike, even delving into abstract art. Like Delaney, she spent her later career in Paris as a teacher and artist, lecturing around the world. Her paintings featured in Ebony magazine and gained renown worldwide. Working well into the 1990s, her work found influence in the Harlem Renaissance throughout her career.

Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller

Another prominent sculptor of this era (but also a painter and a poet), Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller used classical sculpting techniques to depict the African American experience and racism. At the end of the 19^thcentury, she was a protegee of Auguste Rodin, and had studied in France and the United States. Her art contained themes of identity, history, culture, and religion. Her sculptures of ancient Ethiopians and Egyptians aimed to shatter the association of Africa with slavery and ignorance. Additionally, she was one of the first artists to directly address the brutality of lynching, sculpting a work of Mary Turner. She is celebrated for her skillful, intimate, lifelike portrait sculptures. 

Palmer Hayden

Hayden‘s art largely depicted scenes of urban New York and rural Southern life. He depicted candid everyday moments of black subjects in his work, often in a humorous but not derogatory manner. Trained in New York and Paris like many of his contemporaries, his stylistic influences spoke to Western modernism and African folk art forms; his style developed primarily independently when he was young, further emphasizing his natural ability.

End of the Harlem Renaissance

The movement lasted throughout the roaring twenties, but by the early thirties, with the Great Depression and the end of prohibition, it lost its momentum. Additionally, gentrification of the area forced its African American residents to leave. Many of its artists, however, continued working well after the end of the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance had a lasting impact on black communities and art, music, and literature, and many contemporary creatives still look to it for inspiration today. 

While of course this post alone doesn’t do the movement justice, I hoped this helped to highlight some interesting names of visual artists in this movement. There are so many more fascinating figures involved with the Harlem Renaissance, but here I mentioned some of my favourites. I would also definitely recommend checking out the other disciplines that helped form this movement. And as always, feel free to share your thoughts and mention any other artists you think I missed!