The Harlem Renaissance (1918-1930)

Questions and Answers

What were the 'Jim Crow laws'?

Laws that enforced racial segregation and restricted African American rights

What was the impact of the Great Migration on African Americans?

It provided opportunities for economic advancement, jobs, and education in the northern and midwestern states

What was the significance of Harlem during the Great Migration?

It became a significant location for African Americans moving from the south, determined to build a new life and identity

What were the circumstances of most former slaves after the Civil War?

Most had to work as sharecroppers due to legislated constrictions Signup and view all the answers

What was the impact of white supremacy after the Civil War?

It restructured local and state laws, leading to the enforcement of 'Jim Crow laws' Signup and view all the answers

What did the migrants bring with them to the North?

Fried chicken, biscuits, and cornbread Signup and view all the answers

Where was Archibald Motley born?

New Orleans Signup and view all the answers

What did Archibald Motley study in France?

Old masters and genre works Signup and view all the answers

What did Archibald Motley focus on in the 1930s?

Non-traditional urban settings representing the activities and lives of the African American community Signup and view all the answers

What did Motley try to portray through his paintings?

A broad representation of blackness and its diversity Signup and view all the answers

Who became known as a major inspiration of the new Harlem Renaissance art?

Aaron Douglas Signup and view all the answers

What did Aaron Douglas's art primarily depict?

African Americans in music, poetry, and action Signup and view all the answers

What was the subject of Jacob Lawrence's masterpiece series?

The Great Migration of African Americans Signup and view all the answers

What artistic style was Jacob Lawrence known for using?

Synthetic Cubism Signup and view all the answers

'From every southern town migrants left by the hundreds to travel north,' is a panel from which artist's series?

Jacob Lawrence Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

The Harlem Renaissance and Artists of the Movement

Harlem was the heart of the Harlem Renaissance, a major cultural movement in the 1920s, with a focus on African American artists, writers, and entertainers.
The movement led to the development of African American-owned and operated publishing houses, music companies, playhouses, nightclubs, and cabarets in Harlem.
The Great Depression brought an end to the prosperity of the Harlem Renaissance, but its impact expanded worldwide, challenging racist stereotypes and illuminating the talents of African Americans.
Aaron Douglas, born in Kansas, became known as a major inspiration of the new Harlem Renaissance art, integrating Cubism and African influences into his work.
Douglas's art depicted African Americans in music, poetry, and action, using limited color ranges and darker tones to represent social lives and struggles.
"Let My People Go" by Aaron Douglas demonstrates his flat style, depicting African American oppression with traditional tones of mauve and yellow gold.
Jacob Lawrence, born in New Jersey, documented African American history and experiences through paintings, prints, and large murals, including a series of sixty panels depicting the Great Migration.
Lawrence's masterpiece series depicted the emotional journeys, hopes, struggles, and achievements of almost a million African Americans migrating from the southern states to the north and west.
Lawrence's style was based on synthetic Cubism, using geometric forms and abstracted figures, with a constant palette of oranges and yellow contrasted with blue-green and gray-browns.
Each panel in Lawrence's series was numbered in a specific order, depicting financial hardships, southern injustices, migration, and the migrant's life in the north.
Panel number 3 in Lawrence's series is labeled "From every southern town migrants left by the hundreds to travel north," depicting people resolutely moving northwards, accompanied by a flock of birds, symbolizing hope.
The series by Jacob Lawrence and the work of Aaron Douglas are significant contributions to the Harlem Renaissance and the cultural history of African Americans.