Early Modern Exhibit Analysis - The Era of Black Excellence

 

Early Modern art was the beginning of an era where people were more daring, more colorful. The norms and traditions of figure drawing, hyper-realism, and scenery were slowly pushed aside to make dynamic, innovative, and thought-challenging pieces. One of the most important parts about this era is that it serves as the era for Black Excellence.

Art, music, and writing were opened to African Americans to express themselves freely and creatively in a little movement during the 1920s called the Harlem Renaissance. Today we're gonna be checking out black artists and their work, and discussing the impact of black culture on modern art.

THE EXHIBIT

AARON DOUGLAS

Building More Stately Mansions, 1944, by Aaron Douglas 

Starting us off, we have a piece by Aaron Douglas. Douglas is extraordinary, being a key figure during the Harlem Renaissance. He's an American painter, born in Topeka, Kansas, and is known for his almost abstract style of artwork. He's credited for being one of the first African American artists to tastefully document the struggles and history of black people in his works. Some other pieces of his include: Into Bondage, From Slavery Through Reconstruction, and Song of the Towers.

Building More Stately Mansions is about black labor and the growing advancement of architecture, and serves to promote the impact African American individuals have had on advancements, and their work and effort. In the background, you can even see a reference to Egyptian sculptures and pyramids. While it's so subtle, the fact that the people are so small and at the foreground compared to the massive buildings in the background.

Right off the bat, we can see Douglas's unique style. He focuses on broad, distinct shapes and focuses on color showing form, depth, and dimension. There's no real lineart, simply tones.  I admire the way he does it, as a good chunk of my own art tends to focus more on shapes, color, and form.

I love the way he uses value and tone to depict his lines and shadows, but also to portray depth. The various uses of red, magenta, and brown help denote the foreground, middle ground, and background. Red/Green complementary is used with the greens in the background, contrasting perfectly against the more magenta tones.

The figures themselves are beautifully shaped. I love how clearly you can see them while still using minimal detail. It tells all the information you need. The whole piece feels like a graphic poster, one that you'd see used for promotion or propaganda, which might've been intentional for the message. In a way, this piece is a labor of love.

HENRY O TANNER

The Thankful Poor, 1894, by Henry O Tanner

With our next artist, we're touching on Henry Ossawa Tanner. Henry is another American artist, though he's spent a good part of his career in France. Known primarily for his religious pieces, Tanner is an inspiration to young African American artists, especially during the boom of Early Modern art. He's known as one of the first successful African American artists to be nationally acclaimed, and still inspires artists to this day. Some pieces of his include: The Disciples See Christ Walking on Water, The Seine, and The Banjo Lesson.

The Thankful Poor is about the struggles of poor Black people in the South. I find the piece emotionally compelling. While I never grew up poor, I feel as though Tanner does a wonderful job of setting the atmosphere.

Already, the muted, dim colors create a moody setting. The texture of the brushstrokes creates a subtle noise throughout the piece that makes it feel dusty or dirty. The limited palette is dull and adds a sense of mundanity to the piece.

There are two figures, a young boy and an elder. The two sit down in what seems to be prayer. It shows gratitude despite the situation. It's in great contrast to the dinner table and the plates, which are lacking in an abundance of food. It gives me a sense of humility, and it feels incredibly human to me. It's a gorgeous piece, and I feel like it gives a strong perspective on what that kind of life can feel like.

It's not only human, but it paints a part of life that's so real for African Americans in poverty, from the past and even to this day. It's humble; it neither demonizes or glamorizes the situation, simply showing the reality. Similar to the mood of the piece, it's just mundane, everyday life.

HORACE PIPPIN

Cabin in the Cotton, 1931-1937, by Horace Pippin

Horace Pippin, an American folk artist, is our last artist for the exhibit. Pippin's story starts when he enlisted in the 15th regiment of the New York National Guard, and as part of an all-black unit that was active in France. Later, he was shot in the right shoulder, which left his arm disabled. This eventually led to his career in painting. He's mainly self-taught, and his famous for his folk-inspired pieces that often depict African American lives. Some of his pieces include: Mr. Prejudice, Sunday Morning Breakfast, and School Studies.

Cabin in the Cotton is gorgeous to me, and probably one of my favorites. Something about the stark colors against the cream whites and light greys brings together the piece, and makes it look almost like a storybook. The texture in the clouds and the simplification of the figures also give me this feeling. I'm also fond of how the limited color palette highlights key points of where the viewer's focus should be. Against the dark values, the figures' white clothes draw a connection to the cotton out in the fields, insinuating the material or simply making them stand out amongst the relatively dark background.

The piece itself showcases an older woman and a young boy out in the fields, and the massive fields behind them. With the history of African Americans and cotton fields, I feel the piece could be depicting black labor, and making commentary on the hard work of black people.

Something I admire is his decision to go for a more dreary and mundane scene, implying the labor rather than directly showing it. It feels humanizing to me. The figures, though lacking faces, are seen resting and playing. The whole piece, despite the dreary feeling, is calm. The clouds in the background create this sense of movement, but it feels slow. Unrushed, Much like the figures are in what is otherwise a violent time for black people.

THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE

I bring these artists together to highlight not only the importance of black creativity but also black stories. The Harlem Renaissance was massive, being a great boom for black creatives to make music, art, writing, and everything that predominantly whites have done.

Aaron Douglas has contributed countless works to the movement, and has remained a voice and inspiration for black lives, and so has Pippin. And while Tanner wasn't necessarily a part of the Harlem Renaissance, his work is still inspiring to this day, especially being disabled and former military.

These pieces are gorgeous, not just from an artistic standpoint but in the fact that they were recognized for their talent, and these artists continue to influence modern art to this day. Many are inspired by the works of Pippin, Tanner, Douglas, and many more black artists I would've loved to include. It inspired a whole new generation of artists and greatly contributed to the black Arts movement and the civil rights movement. Examples like these show not only technical skill, but also just how diverse art really is.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

 

Anderson, Nancy. “Aaron Douglas.” Www.nga.gov, National Gallery of Art, 29 Sept. 2016, www.nga.gov/collection/artist-info.38654.html

Bode, Patty, and Stephanie Schmidt. “A Study of Artist Aaron Douglas: Painting the Human Figure in the Tradition of Resistance.” Civil Rights Teaching, 2024, https://www.civilrightsteaching.org/resource/study-artist-aaron-douglas#:~:text=Aaron%20Douglas%20was%20a%20leader,and%20resistance%20of%20African%20Americans.

“Exhibition: Henry Ossawa Tanner: The Thankful Poor | Memphis Brooks Museum of Art.” www.brooksmuseum.org, https://www.brooksmuseum.org/exhibitions/henry-ossawa-tanner-the-thankful-poor

National Gallery of Art. “Harlem Renaissance.” Www.nga.gov, National Gallery of Art, 2022, www.nga.gov/learn/teachers/lessons-activities/uncovering-america/harlem-renaissance.html.

Torchia, Robert. “Artist Info.” Www.nga.gov, 29 Sept. 2016, https://www.nga.gov/collection/artist-info.25.html#:~:text=In%201917%20Pippin%20enlisted%20in,shoulder%2C%20permanently%20disabling%20his%20arm.