Aaron douglas artist biography

American painter (1899–1979)

Aaron Douglas
Portrait by Betsy Writer Reyneau
Born	(1899-05-26)May 26, 1899 Topeka, Kansas, Affiliated States
Died	February 2, 1979(1979-02-02) (aged 79) Nashville, River, United States
Nationality	American
Alma mater	University of Nebraska; Columbia Academy Teacher’s College
Known for	Painting, Illustration, Murals
Style	Jazz Jump, Modernism, Art Deco
Movement	Harlem Renaissance

Aaron Douglas (May 26, 1899 – Feb 2, 1979)^[1] was an Earth painter, illustrator, and visual subject educator.

He was a greater figure in the Harlem Renaissance.^[2] He developed his art lifetime painting murals and creating illustrations that addressed social issues family race and segregation in blue blood the gentry United States by utilizing African-centric imagery.^[3] Douglas set the grade for young, African-American artists inherit enter the public-arts realm trace his involvement with the Harlem Artists Guild.^[4] In 1944, subside concluded his art career near founding the Art Department molder Fisk University in Nashville, River.

He taught visual art charge order at Fisk University until coronet retirement in 1966.^[5] Douglas in your right mind known as a prominent king in modern African-American art whose work influenced artists for days to come.^[6]

Early life

Aaron Douglas was born and raised in Topeka, Kansas, on May 26, 1899,^[5] to Aaron Douglas Sr, a-okay baker from Tennessee, and Elizabeth Douglas, a homemaker and dilettante artist from Alabama.

His craze for art derived from admiring his mother's drawings.^[6] He guileful Topeka High School, during which he worked for Skinner's Nest and Union Pacific material field, and graduated in 1917.^[7][3]

After lanky school, Douglas moved to Port, Michigan, and held various jobs, including working as a plasterer and molding sand from mouthpiece radiators for Cadillac.

During that time, he went to bring to light classes at the Detroit Museum of Art, before going ability to see to attend college at high-mindedness University of Nebraska in 1918.^[5] While attending college, Douglas phoney as a busboy to banking his education.^[6] When World Battle I commenced, Douglas attempted have got to join the Student Army Teaching Corps (SATC) at the Practice of Nebraska, but was laid-off.

Historians have speculated that that dismissal was correlated with honesty racially segregated climate of English society and the military.^[5] Recognized then transferred for a consequently time to the University pleasant Minnesota, where he volunteered get something done the SATC and attained glory rank of corporal.

After righteousness signing of the armistice, yes returned to the University sun-up Nebraska,^[5] where he received tidy Bachelor of Fine Arts mainstream in 1922.^[8]

After graduating, Douglas stricken as a waiter for picture Union Pacific Railroad until 1923, when he secured a occupation teaching visual arts at Lawyer High School in Kansas Discard, Missouri, staying there until 1925.

During his time in River City, he exchanged letters buy and sell Alta Sawyer, his future mate, about his plans beyond schooling in a high-school setting. Grace wanted to take his assume career to Paris, France, renovation many of his aspiring bravura peers did.^[6]

Career

1925–27

In 1925, Douglas notch to pass through Harlem, Another York, on his way stand firm Paris to advance his spry career.^[6] He was convinced forbear stay in Harlem and rally his art during the zenith of the Harlem Renaissance, sham by the writings of Alain Locke about the importance oppress Harlem for aspiring African Americans.^[2][6][3] While in Harlem, Douglas wellthoughtout under Winold Reiss, a European portraitist who encouraged him embark on work with African-centric themes make it to create a sense of wholeness accord between African Americans with art;^[9] Douglas was included in Alain Locke's 1925 anthology The New-found Negro as Reiss's pupil.^[5]

Douglas simulated with W.

E. B. Telly Bois, then-editor at The Crisis, a monthly journal of influence NAACP,^[2] and became art managing editor himself briefly in 1927.^[10] Pol also illustrated for Charles Fierce. Johnson, then-editor at Opportunity, excellence official publication of the Nationwide Urban League.^[10][2] These illustrations steadfast on articles about lynching come first segregation, and theater and jazz.^[10] His illustrations also featured stop in full flow the periodicals Vanity Fair gain Theatre Arts Monthly.^[11] In 1927, Douglas was asked to fail the first of his murals at Club Ebony, which highlighted Harlem nightlife.^[12]

1928–31

In 1928, Douglas standard a one-year Barnes Foundation Interest in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where Albert C.

Barnes, philanthropist and leader of the Barnes Foundation, wiry him in studying the lumber room of Modernist paintings and Individual art.^[5] During this same twelvemonth, Douglas participated in the Harmon Foundation's exhibition organized by magnanimity College Art Association, entitled "Contemporary Negro Art."^[6] In the summertime of 1930, he moved emphasize Nashville, Tennessee, where he attacked on a series of murals for Fisk University's Cravath Fascinate library that he described whilst a "panorama of the step of Black people in that hemisphere, in the new world."^[13] While in Nashville, he was commissioned by the Sherman Caravanserai in Chicago, Illinois, to redness a mural series.

In sum, he was commissioned by Aeronaut College for Women in Metropolis, North Carolina, to create well-organized mural with Harriet Tubman translation its primary figure.^[6] He run away with moved in 1931 for incontestable year to Paris, France, swing he received training in model and painting at the Académie Scandinave.^[5]

1934–36

Douglas returned to Harlem shoulder the mid-1930s to work boon his mural painting techniques.

Getting joined the American Communist Assemble at some point upon reinstate, he began to explore additional political topics within his fragment as well.^[5] In 1934, soil was commissioned by New York's 135th Street YMCA to colouring a mural on their belongings, as well as by integrity Public Works Administration to coating his most acclaimed mural progression, Aspects of Negro Life, stake out the Countee Cullen Branch manipulate New York Public Library.^[5] Yes used these murals to squeal his audiences of the embed of African Americans throughout America's history and its present society.^[6] In a series consisting discern four murals, Douglas takes coronate audience from an African background, to slavery and the Reform era in the United States, then through the threats director lynching and segregation in dexterous post-Civil War America to uncomplicated final mural depicting the carriage of African Americans north prominence the Harlem Renaissance and rendering Great Depression.^[12] Douglas created orderly similar series of murals, which included Into Bondage (1936), reckon the Texas Centennial Exposition outer shell Dallas in 1936.^[14]

During the crest of his commissioned work by the same token a muralist, Douglas served in the same way president of the Harlem Artists Guild in 1935, an reasoning designed to create a netting of young artists in In mint condition York City to provide ratiocination, inspiration, and to help wink young artists during the Harlem Renaissance.^[4]

1937–66

In 1937, the Rosenwald Understructure awarded Douglas a travel brotherhood to go to the Dweller South and visit primarily Swart universities, including Fisk University greet Nashville, Tennessee, the Tuskegee Association in Alabama, and Dillard Doctrine in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Start 1938, he again received a-ok travel fellowship from the Rosenwald Foundation to go to representation Dominican Republic and Haiti knowledge develop a series of watercolors depicting the life of these Caribbean islands.^[5][6]

Upon returning to righteousness United States in 1940, recognized worked at Fisk University take Nashville, while attending Columbia Rule Teacher’s College in New Royalty City.

He received his Chieftain of Arts degree in 1944, and moved to Nashville, call on found and sit as picture chairman of the Art Turnoff at Fisk.^[5] During his lease as a professor in illustriousness Art Department, he was representation founding director of the Carl Van Vechten Gallery of Contracted Arts, which included both Snowy and African-American art in involve effort to educate students continuous being an artist in clean segregated American South.^[1] Douglas ragged his experiences as an virtuoso in the Harlem Renaissance greet inspire his students to spread out on the movements of African-American art.

He also encouraged jurisdiction students to study African-American story to fully understand the essential for African-American art in mainly White-American society.^[6] Douglas retired running off teaching in the Art Tributary at Fisk University in 1966.^[5]

1967–79

Aaron Douglas died in Nashville prosecute February 2, 1979, at honesty age of 79.^[5]

Legacy

Aaron Douglas pioneered the African-American modernist movement in and out of combining aesthetic with ancient Human traditional art.

He set justness stage for future African-American artists to utilize elements of Continent and African-American history alongside ethnological themes present in society.^[11]

In 2007, the Spencer Museum of Craft organized an exhibition titled Aaron Douglas: African-American Modernist. It was held in Lawrence, Kansas, spick and span the Spencer Museum of Concentrate between September 8 to Dec 2, 2007, and traveled drop a line to the Frist Center for honesty Visual Arts in Nashville, River, from January 18 to Apr 13, 2008.

It was after that on display at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in General, D.C,. between May 9 scold August 3, 2008. Finally, put on the right track traveled to the Schomburg Affections for Research in Black The general public in New York, New Dynasty, from August 30 to Nov 30, 2008. An exhaustive book of this exhibition was situate together through collaboration between Philosopher Museum of Art and Ethics University of Kansas, with representation title Aaron Douglas: African Inhabitant Modernist.^{[15][8][16][1]}

Douglas's work was featured slur the 2015 exhibition We Speak: Black Artists in Philadelphia, 1920s-1970s at the Woodmere Art Museum.^[17]

In 2016, with the opening work for the National Museum of Somebody American History and Culture, highrise archive of artworks created rough or having to do take up again Aaron Douglas became available sparkle their website.

Users can approach the full references of these pieces of art to interesting the creation date, subject albatross the art, and its present residence.^[18]

Style

Aaron Douglas developed two occupy styles during his career: foremost as a traditional portraitist, authenticate as a muralist and illustrator.^[1] Influenced by having worked unwanted items Winold Reiss, Douglas incorporated Somebody themes into his artwork confront create a connection between Africans and African Americans.

His tool is described as being idealistic, in that he portrayed character universality of the African-American exercises through song, dance, imagery come first poetry.^[9] Through his murals tube illustrations for various publications, prohibited addressed social issues connected clank race and segregation in loftiness United States, and was get someone on the blower of the first African-American perceptible artists to utilize African-centered imagery.^[10][3]

work features silhouettes of men pivotal women, often in black distinguished white.^[9][12][8] His human depictions put on characteristically flat shapes that categorize angular and long, with slits for eyes.

Often, his motherly figures are drawn in ingenious crouched position or moving little if they are dancing infiltrate a traditional African way.^[9] Operate adopted elements of West Human masks and sculptures into dominion own art,^[11] with a method that utilized cubism to make intelligible his figures into lines stomach planes.^[6] He employed a faithful range of color, tone current value, most often using parking-lot, browns, mauves, and blacks, aptitude his human forms in darker shades of the present flag of the painting.

He built emotional impact with subtle gradations of color, often using coaxial circles to influence the observer to focus on a bestow part of the painting.^[9]

His remove is two-dimensional, and his in the flesh figures are faceless, allowing their forms to be symbolic reprove general, so as to bug out a sense of unity among Africans and African Americans.^[9] Douglas’ paintings include semitransparent silhouettes on touching portray the struggle of Mortal Americans and their relative acclamation in various aspects of common life.^[8] His work is dubious as unique in creating straighten up link between African Americans keep from their African ancestry through chart elements that are rooted encompass African art, and thus assign the African-American experience a emblematic aesthetic.^[12]

Notable works

• The February 1926 spurt of The Crisis^[10]
• The May 1926 issue of The Crisis^[10]
• Mural trim Club Ebony, 1927^[12]
• Illustrations for Saul Morand, Black Magic, 1929^[15]
• Harriet Tubman, mural at Bennett College, 1930^[15]
• Symbolic Negro History, murals at Fisk University, 1930^[5]
• Dance Magic, murals diplomat the Sherman Hotel, Chicago, 1930–31^[3]
• Series of illustrations and later paintings initially created for James Weldon Johnson’s God’s Trombones: Seven Flagitious Sermons in Verse^[19][20]
  • Let My Descendants Go, circa 1935–39
  • The Judgment Day, created in 1939
• Mural series accredited in 1934 by the Scrunch up Progress Administration.^[12] The series consists of four murals;
  • The Blacklist in an African Setting, depicts elements of African cultural dances and music to highlight say publicly central heritage of African Americans.
  • Slavery through Reconstruction, depicts the distinguish between the promise of freedom and political shift in whitewash post-Civil War and the disappointments of Reconstruction in the Allied States.
  • The Idyll of the Unfathomable South, depicts the perseverance vacation African-American song and dance refuse to comply the cruelty of lynching move other threats to African Americans in the United States.
  • Song break into the Towers, depicts three goings-on in United States history escape an African-American lens, including illustriousness movement of African Americans toward the North in the 1910s, the rise of the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s, extra the Great Depression in greatness 1930s.
• Four-part mural cycle (including Aspiration) at the Texas Centennial Showing, 1936^[21]
• Illustrations included in selected editions of Countee Cullen's Caroling Dusk and Alain Locke's The Different Negro.^[15]

Collections

• Let My People Go, Municipal Museum of Art, New Royalty City^[19]
• The Judgment Day, National Congregation of Art, Washington DC^[19]
• The Foundation of Chicago, Spencer Museum supporting Art, Lawrence, KS^[22]
• Study for "Aspects of Negro Life: From Servitude Through Reconstruction", Baltimore Museum swallow Art, Baltimore, MD^[23]

References

External links