African American Art: 19th Century Antebellum Period

African American Art in the 19th Century

• The period leading up to the Civil War was marked by hope and identity formation in White America, while African Americans were still fighting for freedom and equality.
• The Antebellum period was characterized by the theme of Manifest Destiny, which sought to justify the expansion of the US and its cultural identity.

Fine Artists

• African American fine artists emerged during this period, largely due to the abolition of slavery and the growth of free black communities and a middle class.
• Many of these artists were mulatto, with access to European education and training, which privileged them over darker-skinned blacks.
• Colorism and racism still played a significant role in determining which black artists received opportunities and patronage.

Pottery and African Influence

• African American slaves worked in pottery mills and shops owned by white planters, producing functional items like jars and pots.
• Dave the Potter, a skilled slave potter, created over 50 pots, including the "Great and Noble Jar," which showcased his literacy and poetic skills.
• Voodoo jugs, created by slave potters in the Edgefield District, featured human faces and were later renamed "AfroGeorgian" and "AfroCarolinian" by art historian Robert Farris Thompson.

Quilts and Textiles

• Female slaves dominated textile production in the Antebellum period, creating quilts, patchwork, and appliqué.
• These quilts were often used to earn income and purchase freedom, solidifying artistic techniques and patterns that would later become known as folk art.

Harriet Powers

• Harriet Powers, a former slave, created powerful narrative quilts that depicted Christian faith, oral traditions, and autobiography.
• Her quilts, such as the "Bible Quilt," used scripture as a metaphor for freedom and redemption.

Fine Arts and American Identity

• The American republic demanded American subjects in art, and American artists struggled to prove their cultural significance.
• African American artists, like Robert Scott Duncanson, used art to "uplift" the race and challenge misconceptions about race and gender.
• Duncanson's landscapes, such as "Blue Hole, Flood Waters, Little Miami River," functioned as national landscapes, humanizing the wilderness and conveying a sense of optimism.

Edmonia Lewis

• Edmonia Lewis, a sculptor, was the first African American artist to achieve national and international recognition.
• Her subject matter focused on African Americans and American Indians, and she struggled financially due to her decision to depict marginalized groups.
• Lewis's neoclassical style emphasized heroic virtue, duty, and dignity, and her work "Forever Free" commemorated the Emancipation Proclamation.

Henry Ossawa Tanner

• Henry Ossawa Tanner, a painter, spent most of his life in France, where he received recognition for his portraits, genre, landscapes, and religious subjects.
• His painting "Banjo Lesson" was exhibited in Philadelphia and Paris, showcasing a realistic and romantic image of black life.
• Tanner's work, particularly "The Resurrection of Lazarus," earned him international recognition and a medal from the Paris Salon.### Henry O. Tanner
• Devoted himself to biblical themes, focusing on miracles, the nativity, crucifixion, and resurrection after achieving success
• Only created 2-3 paintings of Black Life, which is important to note due to the lack of representation in his work

Alaine Locke and Criticism

• Believed Tanner was a disappointment for not developing a school of Negro art
• Argued that Tanner's success was not enough, as it did not create a distinctive tradition for future Negro artists
• Emphasized the importance of creating a school of Negro art that is local and racially representative

Joshua Johnston

• First known African American painter to gain recognition as an artist (1765-1830)
• Worked in Baltimore, Maryland, and mostly painted portraits of wealthy local families' children
• Only 3 known paintings of Black subjects, including a self-portrait
• Identity as a Black artist was discovered in the 2nd half of the 20th century, as he was white-passing

Edward Mitchell Bannister

• Settled in Boston, Massachusetts, an important abolitionist city, in 1850
• Became a successful portrait, landscape, and seascape painter, with support from middle-class black abolitionists
• Also worked as a portrait photographer
• Created a dignified portrait, "Newspaper Boy", which showcased his painterly technique and captured the moment of industrious urban life of the African American middle class

This quiz covers the Antebellum period, a time of hope and identity formation in the American West, leading up to the Civil War. It explores the concept of Manifest Destiny and its impact on American identity.