Aspects Of Negro Life: From Slavery To Reconstruction By John Douglas

The panel is supposed to be read from right to left by the observer and is separated into three sections. The section on the far right showcases several silhouettes rejoicing after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued in 1863. Figures are dancing, a male figure is performing a musical tribute on his trumpet, and several figures are throwing their hands in the air, celebrating the freedoms that were finally being delivered to them. One of the prominent concentric circles encapsulates a piece of paper that is representative of the Emancipation Proclamation. While a piece of paper may not seem like much, highlighting it in this manner conveys its importance, “as it is a piece of paper that freed the slaves.”
The central panel delivered the …show more content…
In Aspects of Negro Life: From Slavery to Reconstruction, Douglas uses “the concentric circles to highlight important documents, such as the Emancipation Proclamation and the ballot, appear represent the sun, which is one of the most important elements of life.” Since the sun is so critical to human life, it is evident that Douglas’s use of these concentric circles representative of the sun showcases the most important documents of African American life. It is also important to note the cotton plants strewn along the bottom of the mural. Cotton was characteristic of slavery, placing the greenery along the bottom of his work provides a linkage to the past and a reminder to push forward as …show more content…
As Hyland-Lipski points out, this figure created by Meta Warrick Fuller “not only honors the people liberated by the Emancipation Proclamation, it is a brave social commentary on race relations in the United States.” Fuller stresses the importance of equality and strength through her artwork, regardless of trials and tribulations the possibility of hope still arises. Later, two quotes by Fuller were added to the base of the sculpture. The first states “The Negro has been emancipated from slavery but not from the curse of race, hatred, and prejudice,” and the second states “Humanity weeping over her suddenly freed children, who, beneath the gnarled fingers of Fate, step forth into the world, unafraid.” Both quotes speak to the power of emancipation conveyed in Meta Warrick Fuller’s piece Emancipation. It is true that the Emancipation Proclamation was initiated, but that did not mean the struggles suddenly ceased. A long journey still lie ahead, and once again the determination encapsulated upon the figures faces further enhances that