The Harlem Renaissance is termed to imply the social, cultural and artistic emergence that happened in the town of Harlem after the end of World War I up to the 1930s. In this period, the town was the “center of culture, art, music, photography, poetry and music” (Bloom 13) portrayed by the blacks. Due to the oppression in the southern states, many blacks had fled and settled in the North in search of an environment they could freely express themselves through their talents. Some of the famous artists of the Harlem Renaissance included Claude McKay, Jean Toomer and Arna Bontemps. Harlem provided an ambient environment for the black artists and they ended up blossoming in the various art disciplines. The Great Migration from the South was one
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The Harlem Renaissance had its pulse firmly held by Black music especially jazz. In 1920, Okeh recorded Mamie Smith’s Crazy Blues thereby spreading the blues to audiences never heard of before. As a result, most of the previous artists that had been performing in circuses and tent shows became famous out of the blues. Clara Smith, Ma Rainey, Alberta Hunter, Bessie Smith among other artists soon became worldwide hits who were recognized across different regions of the world. The reception that the music achieved was in part due to its “expression of the longings and philosophical perspectives of the black working class” (Bloom 95). In fact, the blues was valued as an indigenous art form by famous writers including Sterling Brown, Jean Toomer and Langston Hughes. The blues was regarded as an antidote to bourgeois black assimilation and a secular equivalent of the …show more content…
In so doing, these publishing houses were breaking away from archaic trends that emphasized on British literary traditions (Achode 167). Translated Modernist works that were previously unread in the US were now being published from the native languages. The increase in the uptake of these works was partly driven by the growing market of black authored books on Negro topics. African American magazine editors fueled the efforts by organizing literary prize contests that showcased black literary talent. Charles Johnson, an editor of Opportunity Magazine, for instance, organized such events in the liberal Civic Club and thereby announced a horde of new writers of Africa American backgrounds. Alain Locke edited a book that inspired black leaders and authors in which he emphasized on turning away from social protest towards self-expression (Gates). Nonetheless, the writers were divergent in the methods or aims and were in occasional disagreements. Locke taught that authors of black origin should embrace diverse practices that were motivated by black American traditional
The Harlem Renaissance had its pulse firmly held by Black music especially jazz. In 1920, Okeh recorded Mamie Smith’s Crazy Blues thereby spreading the blues to audiences never heard of before. As a result, most of the previous artists that had been performing in circuses and tent shows became famous out of the blues. Clara Smith, Ma Rainey, Alberta Hunter, Bessie Smith among other artists soon became worldwide hits who were recognized across different regions of the world. The reception that the music achieved was in part due to its “expression of the longings and philosophical perspectives of the black working class” (Bloom 95). In fact, the blues was valued as an indigenous art form by famous writers including Sterling Brown, Jean Toomer and Langston Hughes. The blues was regarded as an antidote to bourgeois black assimilation and a secular equivalent of the …show more content…
In so doing, these publishing houses were breaking away from archaic trends that emphasized on British literary traditions (Achode 167). Translated Modernist works that were previously unread in the US were now being published from the native languages. The increase in the uptake of these works was partly driven by the growing market of black authored books on Negro topics. African American magazine editors fueled the efforts by organizing literary prize contests that showcased black literary talent. Charles Johnson, an editor of Opportunity Magazine, for instance, organized such events in the liberal Civic Club and thereby announced a horde of new writers of Africa American backgrounds. Alain Locke edited a book that inspired black leaders and authors in which he emphasized on turning away from social protest towards self-expression (Gates). Nonetheless, the writers were divergent in the methods or aims and were in occasional disagreements. Locke taught that authors of black origin should embrace diverse practices that were motivated by black American traditional