Second Look: The Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism
The exhibit was more crowded than when I first visited, with an ethnically diverse crowd, so inspiring to see.
The “Transatlantic” in the title refers to the fact that Black artists went abroad to escape racism and learn from European styles of art including Impressionism and Expressionism. In Paris and other cities Black artists found a convivial, freeing atmosphere. Adding to the cross-cultural mingling, artists including Matisse and Picasso were inspired by African art.
Winold Reiss, a German artist, was a friend
and admirer of key people in the Harlem Renaissance.
Here is his striking portrait of Alain Locke.
Fred Fripp, Graduate of Penn School,
Teacher, With Carol and Evelyn, 1927,
is another of Reiss’s sensitive
portraits, done with pastels.
Palmer Hayden’s The Janitor Who Paints, c. 1937 is the only picture in the show that alludes to the privation painters overcame to produce works of astounding beauty, even on materials such as plywood or burlap.
Archibald J. Motley, Jr.’s extraordinary sense of color enlivens his already lively scenes of street life and party going. Black Belt, 1934, is just one example.
After seeing his use of such intense colors,
I was surprised by the sobriety of Archbald
J. Motley's self-portrait.
Notice how the colors on the palette seem to shimmer.
William H. Johnson (1901-1970) continued to captivate me.
He left South Carolina for NYC when he was 17 and worked various jobs
to pay for classes at the National Academy of Design.
Recognizing Johnson’s talent , a teacher took up a collection so that Johnson
could go to Europe to study and paint without being crushed by American racism.
He married a Danish woman who was interested in Scandinavian folk art.
When the couple came back to the U.S. when WW II was threatening,
William H. Johnson studied African-American folk art and developed
the style he is increasingly becoming known for.
Three of his works are in a previous blog.
I found it impossible to capture the subtle range of Johnson’s
colors, so arresting when seen “live." The works below are
Man in a Vest, 1939-40 (Oil on canvas)
Mom Alice, 1944 (Oil on cardboard)
Woman in Blue, ca. 1943 (Oil on burlap)
Flowers, ca. 39-40 (Oil on plywood)
I wish you could see this ”live.”
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