DAY 263

ART THROUGH THE AGES

The Harlem Renaissance

FORGING A NEW IDENTITY

As jazz music circulated through the clubs and African-American authors were writing novels, poetry, and prose, a new type of artist was emerging in Harlem, New York. Dignified images of African-American individuals and communities were replacing old, negative stereotypes. Black Americans were positively redefining themselves in the vibrant movement known as the Harlem Renaissance.

After World War I, millions of African-Americans left the South and traveled North, looking for opportunity in what is known as the Great Migration. With this, a new kind of Renaissance began in urban centers.

Originally known as “The New Negro Movement,” the Harlem Renaissance represents a florescence of creative activity. Asserting a type of art separate from that of Europe, they sought to create a new identity in their work, one that was distinctly their own. African-American artists paid homage to their folk traditions and African heritage. New styles were developed and traditional styles in painting and sculpture were mastered. Paintings of slaves being emancipated from bondage, jubilant dancers in jazz clubs, and Black neighborhoods bustling with life are indicative of their content. Through struggle and success, these artists represented pride in their ethnicity.

The legacy of the Harlem Renaissance runs deep through the fabric of American culture. Through music, theater, literature, and art, the artists of this movement redefined how African-Americans saw themselves and how the world saw African-Americans. —ARR

Selected artists: Romare Bearden, Aaron Douglas, Palmer Hayden, William H. Johnson, Loïs Mailou Jones, Jacob Lawrence, Archibald Motley, Augusta Savage, James Van Der Zee