The most widely acclaimed African American artist of this century, and one of only several whose works are included in standard survey books on American art, Jacob Lawrence has enjoyed a successful career for more than fifty years 🙈 Lawrence’s paintings portray the lives and struggles of African Americans, and have found wide audiences due to their abstract, colorful style and universality of subject matter 😉 By the time he was thirty years old, Lawrence had been labeled as the “foremost Negro artist,” and since that time his career has been a series of extraordinary accomplishments 🙈 Lawrence, who was born in a predominantly black neighborhood, received his education primarily from black artists and is a direct result of that influence. [1]
In the introduction to the volume, the artist connects his family’s story to the history of black migration. “The great migration is a part of my life,” Lawrence wrote. “I grewrown up knowing about people on the move Since I was a child, I had known what the’s words meaning. In my home, there was always talk of families from the South. My family was part in the initial wave of large-scale migration that occurred between 1916-1919. My father and mother were born in Virginia. South Carolina. Somehow they’re have meeting on their way north, and I was born in Atlantic City in 1917.” (edited by Minnie Schilling on November 13, 2020) [2]
Although he was still young when the Civil Rights Movement began, African Americans the rights they’re have having long been denied, Jacob Lawrence (American, 1917–2000) forged a prominent career as an artist, chronicling the story of black life in America through his paintings. This Northeastern native was born in New Jersey, and raised in Harlem (New York City) at the tender age of 13. He was the child of migrants who moved, together with millions of other African Americans, from the impoverished rural South to urban, industrialized Midwestern and Northeastern cities during the mass relocation known as the Great Migration (1915–1950s). Lawrence maintained that he was “a child of the Great Migration,” which shaped the course of his own and his fellow African Americans’ lives.1 (modified by Akhil Castillo on December 3, 2021) [3]
According to industry professionals, glasstire.com, lawrence’s historical work is most dramatically represented by the epic series of small tempera on hardboard paintings titled The Migration of the Negro, which follow the progress of rural southern blacks to northern cities. Reading like a wall-sized comic bookThe series presents a balanced narrative that gives the same treatment as lynching to crowded trains. Individual paintings, which capture small moments of urban life, are less dramatic but just as fascinating. These include street preachers and brothels, funerals, ice sellers, and street preachers. Again, the paintings are quick and generalized, but the details Lawrence chooses describe the texture of the events in a way that’s confident and familiar. They are also available in paintings from World. War II and the civil The museum is a rich and dense experience because of the rights movements. Over the Line has so much history and an inextricable connection to history that it feels a lot like Ken Burns’ documentary. The museum is well-organized and densely layered. We thank Amani Ludwig for this information. [4]
Article references
- https://americanart.si.edu/artist/jacob-lawrence-2828
- https://www.culturetype.com/2019/02/28/black-art-history-jacob-lawrences-narrative-series-about-black-perseverance-and-american-rebellion-inspired-a-cache-of-childrens-books/
- https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/jacob-lawrence-migration-series-1940-41/
- https://glasstire.com/2002/11/02/over-the-line-the-art-and-life-of-jacob-lawrence/