Early Modern Era: The Visual Artists of the Harlem Renaissance

The Harlem Renaissance (1920's - 1930's) was a period of cross-disciplinary artistic revolution among African Americans following the end of World War I and into the onset of the Great Depression. Originally referred to as the "New Negro" movement, a nod to Alain LeRoy Locke's The New Negro (1925), an anthology which sought to inspire an African-American culture based in pride and self-dependence. With an emphasis on black identity, a rising consciousness of social inequality and discrimination, and the rapid technological innovations of the age, the artists of the era would heavily influence visual arts, music, dance, theater and literature. First occupied by Native Americans and settled by the Dutch in the early 1600’s, Harlem was originally farmland that was developed for large estates and settlements until the late 19th century. Although African Americans have lived in Harlem since the 1630’s, the early 20th century saw the Great Migration which would lead to a gigantic influx in the population, which would of course include many creatives.

Black Belt by Archibald J. Motley Jr., 1934, Oil on canvas

This painting depicts the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago known as the "Black Belt" which was known for its popular jazz and cabaret clubs. The piece captures all types of locals to the area; a policeman and a newsboy, women in gowns escorted by men dressed for a night out; a woman carrying groceries. Early modern art began to incorporate abstraction into depictions of the human form, as well as emphasizing more bright, flashy color palettes, both of which are visible in this piece. Notably, the women in the piece seem to be emphasized with color much more heavily than their male counterparts. The viewer feels as though they are navigating the crowd themselves, the city in the distance hardly visible beyond the glowing avenue. While we know the intended location of the image to be Chicago, at its core this piece is a depiction of black night life, and thus does not focus on establishing a clear location through visual landmarks whatsoever; what makes the scene is the people there.  Today, the painting is housed at Hampton University Art Gallery, a historically black university and home to the nation’s oldest collection of artworks by black artists.

Lift Every Voice and Sing (The Harp) by Augusta Savage, 1937

In 1937, the Harlem-based artist Augusta Savage was commissioned to create a sculpture that would appear at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. Savage was one of only four women, and the only Black artist, to receive a commission for the fair. She was also an art teacher and the art director of the community-based Harlem Community Art Center. The 16 foot tall piece was created out of plaster in her Harlem studio, in memoriam of her late friend James Weldon Johnson, who had written the song after which the piece is titled, often called the "Black national anthem". The harp is composed of the forms of members of a singing choir who stand upright on a long arm and hand representing the hand of God, one of which kneels at the front to represent the foot pedal. The piece was unfortunately destroyed following the end of the World's Fair. 

Blind Singer by William H. Johnson, 1939

Blind Singer depicts two happy musicians: a woman playing the guitar to the right and a man, the titular blind singer, standing to the left. Johnson spent most of his time from the mid-1920s to the late 1930s in Europe, where he was influenced by Post-Impressionism and Expressionism, but would return to New York, where he'd spent his schooling years and young adulthood, in 1938. After being assigned by the government's Works Progress Administration to teach at the Harlem Community Art Center, Johnson became immersed in the sights, sounds, and people of New York's African-American community, which he captured in compositions of flat shapes, patterned designs, and brilliant colors that were distinctly modernist. Lacking solid outlines or shadow, the screen print image uses vibrantly colored abstract shapes to create the figures. The two appear just as joyful as any performers you'd see walking down the street.

This is absolutely my favorite of the pieces I've collected for this blog, as the color palette and style are just the most visually appealing to me. I especially love the blues of the singer's suit. I envy being able to create compositions like this with what seems like such minimal detail, but it is truly a testament to the artist's ability.

Works Cited

“Black Belt.” Black Artists in the Museum, 12 June 2018, https://black-artists-in-the-museum.com/2018/02/16/black-belt-1934/. 

“The Harlem Renaissance and the Jazz Age with Kevin Drapercolumbia Club of New York.” Columbia Club of New York, https://www.columbiaclub.org/event/the-harlem-renaissance-and-the-jazz-age-with-kevin-draper/. 

“Harlem Renaissance Art Overview.” The Art Story, https://www.theartstory.org/movement/harlem-renaissance/. 

León, Concepción De. “The Black Woman Artist Who Crafted a Life She Was Told She Couldn't Have.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 30 Mar. 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/30/us/augusta-savage-black-woman-artist-harlem-renaissance.html. 

NGA. Harlem Renaissance, https://www.nga.gov/learn/teachers/lessons-activities/uncovering-america/harlem-renaissance.html.