African sculpture

United States black power movement of the 1960’s and 70’s gained momentum, African American artists seized the scene and created pieces that reflected their history of oppression and embraced the progress towards attaining equality. Focusing on two works in particular, Betye Saar’s iconic The Liberation of Aunt Jemima (1972), and Richard Hunt’s sculpture the Outgrown Pyramid #1 (1973), will help uncover the plight of African American’s at that time. These artists both demonstrate a keen…

Bobbie Carlyle’s bronze sculpture titled Self Made Man depicts a man carving himself out of stone and, according to Carlyle herself, “carving his character, carving his future”. This sentiment of a man molding himself into who he wants to become is reminiscent of Lorraine Hansberry’s 1959 play A Raisin in the Sun. The play follows an African-American family living in Chicago struggling to improve their lives as well as fulfill their dreams, especially regarding one of its main characters, Walter…

figure, artists reveal their present insight into culture that has been informed by their personal life and audience. Inherently present in art, these manifestations of culture are contorted throughout time as social paradigms change. Edgar Degas’ sculpture, Little Dancer of Fourteen Years (1881) was indicative of the conservative and aristocratic community of the 18th century that disguised a world of vulnerability and despondency, replacing it with an overtly aestheticized portrayal of…

In the article on Edmonia Lewis written by Kirsten Buick, Buick brings up some important points, one was how Lewis made her art so that everyone could relate to it and it appealed to all races. Lewis was Native American and African American making her an “outcast” in her time period. She had her audience wondering why she never had herself as the subject of her works she portrayed others. According to the article, Lewis’s decision to make her women neutral while racializing the men was more…

However the state of the southern slaves was forever changed. In 1915, thousands of African Americans voyaged from the south to the north, radically changing their opportunties for learning and developing skills. “After many harsh years of slavery, the African American was in great need of happiness and celebration. Because of this, a time of fun, art, and music was born; we call this era The Harlem Renaissance” (“African Americans in the Harlem Ren” 1). This movement took place during the…

Zora Neale Hurston served an influential role during this time period. It is important to understand the significance of this era in history and how African American people were able to develop and adapt their own ideals, morals, and customs through creativity and art. Therefore, the focus of the exhibition is on the African American search for identity in the post-slavery period and the creation and self-expression through art during the Harlem Renaissance. As a novelist, anthropologist, and…

Mary Edmonia Lewis Mary Edmonia Lewis known by Edmonia was the first professional African-American and Native-American sculptor, who earned praise for work that explored different themes from religious to classical. Her main focus was on all women who have struggled and suffered from her own personal experiences. She overcame many obstacles from a young child to an adult. She was born in1844 in New York and orphaned at a young age and was raised by her mother’s family. She attended Oberlin…

Art of the African people have been attracted by connoisseurs from all over the world because of their originality and dissimilarity to the usual Western art. Africa art has an undoubted advantage because of their unusual understanding of the reality of the image. Art of Africa covers several historical periods and provides a single historical type, characterized by integrity stylistic features that have little changes in centuries. African Art includes creation by many different cultures that…

Renaissance were black authors/writers, scholars, and musicians. Many of the people involved in the Harlem Renaissance were artistic and literary leaders that later influenced African American culture. This coming together of people created a sense of racial pride for people in the African- American community. Many African Americans were politically and socially affected by World War I. As a result many migrated to the urban North. As people migrated to the North different races inhabited…

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…