Aaron+Douglas

=Aaron Douglas  By BMcLeod20 and LRichards24   Relations To The Harlem Renaissance = There are numerous amounts of themes and issues alluding to the Harlem Renaissance in Aaron Douglas’s paintings. The Harlem Renaissance is era in which the society perceived black people as having finally liberated themselves from a past fraught with self-doubt and surrendered instead to an unprecedented optimism (invia.org). Growing up during this time, Aaron Douglas reflects how he feels about this era in two main paintings; “Into Bondage” and “The Crucifixion”. Douglas uses color scheme, formal properties such as repetition and contrast, and the mood of the painting as a way to allude towards Harlem Renaissance, in his painting.

“Into Bondage” was painted in 1936. This was right after The Harlem Renaissance. Douglas uses cool colors such as blue, lavender, pale shades of green and also pale shades of yellow to symbolizes the depressed personalities of African Americans before this time. They were tired and worn out from all of the racism and discrimination that were against them. Douglas also uses formal properties such as repetition and contrast to emphasize their old attitudes. In this painting, he repeats the amount of Black Americans bonded in chains walking towards what is eluded to be a British boat about to carry them over to the US to be used a slaves. Some have their heads down symbolizing their depressed state of mind, while others have their head up looking towards the future and being optimistic that this is not the way their life is going to end. The mood of the painting can be viewed in two different viewpoints: gloomy or optimistic. Ones that view it to be gloomy are looking at the Black Americans with their heads tilted down. Others might think of the painting to be optimistic because the one African American with his head up has what looks like, a light shining on him which can symbolize a better future.

Another painting by Aaron Douglas is “The Crucifixion”. “The Crucifixion” was painted in 1927. This was the peak of The Harlem Renaissance. Once again, Douglas uses cool colors such as purple and pale pink to get across the emotions of African Americans. Purple is usually associated with royalty. In the painting he paints what looks to be an African American holding a cross over his shoulders. This was the same thing Jesus had to do during his crucifixion. He relates the two by saying Jesus had to go through hard times in order to save others. Another device that Douglas uses throughout “The Crucifixion” is formal properties. He contrasts the colors so it looks like a light is shinning on the man carrying the cross, which also symbolizes better days ahead. People can view this painting to have an optimistic mood because of the meaning behind it.

Both paintings “The Crucifixion” and “Into Bondage” deal with the emotions that African Americans dealt with during the time of The Harlem Renaissance. We can depict each meaning out with using the devices of color scheme, formal properties such as repetition and contrast, and the mood of both paintings. []  "I refuse to compromise and see blacks as anything less than a proud and majestic people." -Aaron Douglas

Aaron Douglas was born on May 26, 1899 in the small town of Topeka, Kansas. At the time of Aaron Douglas’ youth, most African Americans were expected to become servants or laborers. Aaron Douglas’ father was a baker. Aaron grew up in a thriving black community. His mother pushed his artistic talent as a young age and encouraged him to continue. His biggest influence for his art was Henry Ossawa Tanner. Douglas educated himself despite the challenges he faced due to the color of his skin. He joined the exodus in the north after high school, so he could earn money to pursue his education further. In 1917, Aaron Douglas attended the University of Nebraska where he earned a B.A. in Fine Arts by the time he graduated in 1922. After college, he decided to teach at Lincoln High School in Topeka for two years. Later he became an illustrator for Dr. Alain Locke’s new book // The // // New Negro //, which debuted in 1925.

After he married his wife Alta, he traveled to Paris, France to further his knowledge on sculpture and painting. While in Paris, Douglas had the experience of a lifetime when he was able to meet his role model Henry Ossawa Tanner. In 1928 when he returned to the U.S. he became the first president of the Harlem Artists Guild. In 1930 he created a mural for Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. His fellow colleagues and students called him the “Dean”. In 9134, Douglas received a scholarship from the WPA, to paint a series of murals for the 135th Street Branch of The New York Public Library. Some of his other work was published in // The Crisis //, // Vanity Fair //, // Opportunity //, and // God’s Trombones //. From 1939 to 1966 he was an art professor at Fisk University; he later became the department head before retiring in 1966. He was called “The Father of African- American Art.” Before he died in 1979, he was recognized for making a path for blacks in art. All of his contributions have helped make it possible for African Americans to express themselves, and be accepted in the art world today.

-->Some of his famous paintings include Aspects of Negro Life: An Idyll of the Deep South, 1934, Study for Aspects of Negro Life: From Slavery through Reconstruction, 1934, Aspects of Negro Life: From Slavery through Reconstruction, 1934, Aspects of Negro Life: The Negro in an African Setting, 1934, and many others.

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