If you have never visited the Smithsonian American Art Museum, this is the perfect time to do so. “Aaron Douglas: African American Modernist” is the first nationally touring retrospective of Douglas, who most consider to be the Harlem Renaissance’s most influential artist.
“Aaron Douglas was an extraordinarily influential figure who was one of the first artists to place African American culture at the center of modern art. It is a great privilege to host this important exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, which has one of the largest pioneering collections of African American art in the United States,” said Elizabeth Broun, the Margaret and Terry Stent director at the Smithsonian.
“Aaron Douglas: African American Modernist” was organized by the Spencer Museum of Art at the University of Kansas. The exhibition was made possible with support from the Henry Luce Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. The Smithsonian partnered with PEPCO and the Diane and Norman Bernstein Foundation, Inc. on the exhibition in Washington, D.C.
Douglas was born in Topeka, Kan. in 1899. He earned a B.F.A. degree from the University of Nebraska in 1922, and taught art at the Lincoln High School for Black students in Kansas City, Mo.
In 1925, after reading an issue of Survey Graphic dedicated to “Harlem: Mecca of the New Negro,” Douglas decided to move to Harlem. When he arrived, he was quick to join with other young artists, writers, musicians, and playwrights who were part of a creative cultural explosion known as the Harlem Renaissance.
While in Harlem, Douglas began to develop a style of painting inspired by the philosophical thinking and political ideals of Marcus Garvey, which led him to look to African Art for potent images and forms. He began using silhouette figures in profile, reminiscent of ancient Egyptian art, with stylized forms combining Art Deco with traditional African and African American imagery.
Douglas began to spread his bold new vision as a frequent contributor to magazines such as the NAACP’s Crisis and Urban League’s Opportunity, where he would illustrate articles on topics including segregation, lynching and human rights. He collaborated with writers of the Harlem Renaissance such as Langston Hughes and Claude McKay to illustrate dust jackets for their books.
He painted murals for the WPA and Fisk University portraying the history of African Americans, showing both hard times and expectations of a brighter future. In 1937, Douglas founded the art department at Fisk University in Nashville, Tenn., where he was chair until his retirement in 1966.
“The exhibition argues that Douglas’ bold work opened doors for many and forged a dialogue with American and international modernism that put African artistic influences and African American life, labor, and freedom at its center,” stated the pamphlet.
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