The ingenuity of the individuals involved in the Harlem Renaissance continues to have an effect on modern culture. The Harlem Renaissance was a celebration of African American culture. Slavery and the Jim Crow Laws had oppressed Africans Americans for hundreds of years. The idea of white supremacy was popular quickly becoming popular in the South. Unfortunately, most African Americans lived in the South and were treated horribly. In 1890, the Great Migration began, in which many African American decided to move North. As a result, thousands of African Americans now lived in big cities. Although not as oppressive, the Northern whites did not treat the African Americans well. They found themselves in terrible slums in urban areas. The largest
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The art celebrated the heritage and history of African Americans. The majority of these artists came out of the middle class. The term “New Negro” referred to the African Americans who began to celebrate their culture. Aaron Douglas perfectly represented this term. He designed many covers and illustrated for a number of African American publications. He also created murals for buildings. After moving to Nashville, Douglass began the art department at Fisk University. His art featured bold colors and outlines of people and backgrounds. Subjects included everything from slaves to jazz clubs. Lois Mailou Jones was also a great artist of the period. She faced many obstacles such as attending a primarily white school of art in Boston. She often had to ask friends to enter her works in galleries that did not allow African American artists and she had many awards taken away from her because of her race. Jones pieces often used earth tones, and she liked to highlight the struggles of the poor. In addition, some of her subjects were religious or tribal. She even painted Buddha. Jacob Lawrence’s art from the Harlem Renaissance also had an effect on today’s art. The purpose of his art was to show the history of African Americans in the South. He believed that schools needed to highlight the plight of African Americans. Lawrence’s most famous paintings were his “Migration” series, which features slaves being shipped …show more content…
She was born in an African American town in Florida and was sheltered from racism. She studied at Howard University and then moved to New York. When written, Their Eyes Were Watching God was unpopular and criticized by her fellow writers ("Zora Neale Hurston Is Born"). As a female, she brought a much different perspective to the literature of the time. She also had some controversial beliefs about African Americans, contrary to many of the other artists and writers. Hurston was against the idea that white society simply victimized African Americans. This differed from the themes of Pan-Africanism and the New Negro. Today, Their Eyes Were Watching God is celebrated as one of the greatest products of the Harlem Renaissance. The story features Janie, a young African American woman telling her journey of self-discovery. She grows in self-confidence and awareness through her three husbands. Her writing is effective for a number of reasons. She uses different techniques for dialogue and narration. The dialogue is very colloquial. When she arrives back in her hometown, a neighbor remarks, “What she doin coming back here in dem overhalls? Can’t she find no dress to put on?” (Hurston 6). This language is typical of a southern African American woman of the time. This contrasts with Janie when she narrates, such as in the quote, “Janie saw her life like a great tree in leaf with the
The art celebrated the heritage and history of African Americans. The majority of these artists came out of the middle class. The term “New Negro” referred to the African Americans who began to celebrate their culture. Aaron Douglas perfectly represented this term. He designed many covers and illustrated for a number of African American publications. He also created murals for buildings. After moving to Nashville, Douglass began the art department at Fisk University. His art featured bold colors and outlines of people and backgrounds. Subjects included everything from slaves to jazz clubs. Lois Mailou Jones was also a great artist of the period. She faced many obstacles such as attending a primarily white school of art in Boston. She often had to ask friends to enter her works in galleries that did not allow African American artists and she had many awards taken away from her because of her race. Jones pieces often used earth tones, and she liked to highlight the struggles of the poor. In addition, some of her subjects were religious or tribal. She even painted Buddha. Jacob Lawrence’s art from the Harlem Renaissance also had an effect on today’s art. The purpose of his art was to show the history of African Americans in the South. He believed that schools needed to highlight the plight of African Americans. Lawrence’s most famous paintings were his “Migration” series, which features slaves being shipped …show more content…
She was born in an African American town in Florida and was sheltered from racism. She studied at Howard University and then moved to New York. When written, Their Eyes Were Watching God was unpopular and criticized by her fellow writers ("Zora Neale Hurston Is Born"). As a female, she brought a much different perspective to the literature of the time. She also had some controversial beliefs about African Americans, contrary to many of the other artists and writers. Hurston was against the idea that white society simply victimized African Americans. This differed from the themes of Pan-Africanism and the New Negro. Today, Their Eyes Were Watching God is celebrated as one of the greatest products of the Harlem Renaissance. The story features Janie, a young African American woman telling her journey of self-discovery. She grows in self-confidence and awareness through her three husbands. Her writing is effective for a number of reasons. She uses different techniques for dialogue and narration. The dialogue is very colloquial. When she arrives back in her hometown, a neighbor remarks, “What she doin coming back here in dem overhalls? Can’t she find no dress to put on?” (Hurston 6). This language is typical of a southern African American woman of the time. This contrasts with Janie when she narrates, such as in the quote, “Janie saw her life like a great tree in leaf with the