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Self-portrait, 1977; This is typical in terms of color and style in its flattened and abstracted treatment of realistic subject matter.
Self-portrait, 1977; This is typical in terms of color and style in its flattened and abstracted treatment of realistic subject matter. A Self-portrait is a representation of an artist drawn painted photographed or sculpted by the artist

Jacob Lawrence (September 7, 1917 - June 9, 2000) was an African American painter; he was married to fellow artist Gwendolyn Knight. Events 1251 BC - A Solar eclipse on this date might mark the birth of legendary Heracles at Thebes Greece. Year 1917 ( MCMXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 53 - Roman Emperor Nero marries Claudia Octavia 62 - Claudia Octavia commits 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa Painting (pān'tīng in Art, is the practice of applying Color to a Surface (support base such as e Gwendolyn Knight ( 20 April, 1914 - February 18, 2005) was an African American Sculptor from Barbados, in the Lawrence referred to his style as "dynamic cubism", though by his own account the primary influence was not so much French art as the shapes and colors of Harlem. Cubism was a 20th century Avant-garde Art movement, pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, that revolutionized European Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, long known as a major African American cultural and business center [1]

Lawrence is among the best-known twentieth century African American painters, a distinction shared with Romare Bearden. Romare Bearden ( September 2, 1911 &ndash March 12, 1988) was an African-American Artist and Writer. Lawrence was only in his twenties when his "Migration Series" made him nationally famous. The series of paintings was featured in a 1941 issue of Fortune Magazine. Fortune is a Global Business Magazine published by Time Inc's Fortune|Money Group The series depicted the epic Great Migration of African Americans from the rural South to the urban North. See also Second Great Migration (African American The Great Migration was the movement of approximately seven million African-Americans out of the

Contents

Life

Born in 1917 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Lawrence was thirteen when he moved with his mother, sister and brother to New York City. The City of New York His mother enrolled him in classes at an arts and crafts settlement house in Harlem, in an effort to keep him busy. The young Lawrence often drew patterns with crayons. A crayon is a stick of colored Wax, Charcoal, Chalk, or other materials used for writing and Drawing. Although much of his work copied his mother's carpets, an art teacher there noted great potential in Lawrence. A carpet is any loom-woven felted textile or grass floor covering

After dropping out of high school at sixteen, Lawrence worked in a laundry and a printing plant. More importantly, he attended classes at the Harlem Art Workshop, taught by his mentor, the African American artist Charles Alston. Charles Henry Alston ( November 28, 1907 &ndash April 27, 1977) was an African American Artist, Muralist Alston urged him to also attend the Harlem Community Art Center, led by the sculptor Augusta Savage. Augusta Savage born Augusta Christine Fells lived from February 29, 1892 &ndash March 26, 1962. Savage was able to secure a paid position for Lawrence with the Works Progress Administration. The Works Progress Administration (renamed in 1939 the Work Projects Administration; WPA) was the largest New Deal agency employing millions of people In addition to getting paid, he was able to study and work with such notable Harlem Renaissance artists as Alston and Henry Bannarn in the Alston-Bannarn workshop. The Harlem Renaissance was named after the anthology The New Negro, edited by Alain Locke in 1925 ‎ ‎ Henry Wilmer "Mike" Bannarn ( July 17, 1910 - September 20,

Lawrence married the painter Gwendolyn Knight, who had also been a student of Savage's, on July 24, 1941. Events 1132 - Battle of Nocera between Ranulf II of Alife and Roger II of Sicily. Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. They remained married until his death in 2000.

In November of 1943 (during the Second World War), he enlisted in the United States Coast Guard, then part of the United States Navy. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including [2] He was able to paint and sketch while in the Coast Guard, and travelled to Egypt, Italy, and India (AHOAAA, p. 303).

In 1970 Lawrence settled in Seattle, Washington and became an art professor at the University of Washington. See Washington (disambiguation for other uses The University of Washington, founded in 1861, is a public research University Some of his works are now displayed there in the Paul G. Allen Center for Computer Science & Engineering and in Meany Hall for the Performing Arts. The piece in the main lobby of Meany Hall, entitled "Theatre", was commissioned by the University for the hall in 1985.

Work

Throughout his lengthy artistic career, Lawrence concentrated on depicting the history and struggles of African Americans. Lawrence's work often portrayed important periods in African-American history. The artist was twenty-one years old when his series of paintings of the Haitian general Toussaint L’Ouverture was shown in an exhibit of African American artists at the Baltimore Museum of Art. François-Dominique Toussaint Louverture The Baltimore Museum of Art in Baltimore Maryland, was founded in 1914 This impressive work was followed by a series of paintings of the lives of Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman, as well as a series of pieces about the abolitionist John Brown. Frederick Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, February 14 1818 February 20 1895 was an American abolitionist, editor, Orator Harriet Tubman (born Araminta Ross; c 1820 – 10 March 1913 was an African-American Abolitionist, Humanitarian, and Union Abolitionism was a political movement of the 18th and 19th century which sought to make Slavery illegal particularly in the United States and British West Indies John Brown (May 9 1800 December 2 1859 was an American Abolitionist who advocated and practiced armed Insurrection as a means to end all Slavery Lawrence was only twenty-three when he completed the sixty-panel set of narrative paintings entitled Migration of the Negro. The series, a moving portrayal of the migration of hundreds of thousands of African Americans from the rural South to the North after World War I, was shown in New York, and brought him national recognition. In the 1940s Lawrence was given his first major solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and became the most celebrated African American painter in the country. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, USA, on 53rd Street between Fifth

Shortly after moving to Washington State, Lawrence did a series of five paintings on the westward journey of African American pioneer George Washington Bush. George Washington Bush (1779-1863 was one of the first American settlers and the first black settler in what would later become the U These paintings are now in the collection of the State of Washington History Museum. The Washington State History Museum is located in downtown Tacoma, Washington. [3]

He taught at several schools, and continued to paint until a few weeks before his death in June 2000 at the age of eighty-two. His last public work, the mosaic mural New York in Transit, was installed in October 2001 in the Times Square subway station in New York City. Times Square is a major intersection in Manhattan, New York City at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West

Recognition

Lawrence was honored as an artist, teacher, and humanitarian when the NAACP awarded him the Spingarn Medal in 1970 for his outstanding achievements. In 1974 the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York held a major retrospective of his work, and in 1983 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. The Whitney Museum of American Art, often referred to simply as "the Whitney" harbors one of the most important collections of 20th century American art The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 250-member organization whose goal is to "foster assist and sustain excellence" in American Literature, In 1998 he received Washington State's highest honor, The Washington Medal of Merit. In Washington State The Medal of Merit is given for exceptional conduct in providing outstanding services to the citizens He was awarded the U. S. National Medal of the Arts in 1990.

His work is in the permanent collections of numerous museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum, and the Brooklyn Museum. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is an art museum located on the eastern edge of Central Park, along what is known as Museum Mile in New York City, The Whitney Museum of American Art, often referred to simply as "the Whitney" harbors one of the most important collections of 20th century American art The Brooklyn Museum, located at 200 Eastern Parkway, in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, is the second-largest Art museum in In May of 2007, the White House Historical Association (via the White House Acquisition Trust) purchased Lawrence's The Builders (1947) for $2. The White House Historical Association, founded in 1961 through efforts of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy is a private non-profit organization with a mission to enhance the public's The White House Acquisition Trust is a private non-profit tax-exempt fund established to finance the purchase of fine art and decorative arts for the White House, the official 5 million at auction. The painting now hangs in the White House Green Room. The Green Room is one of three state Parlors on the first floor in the White House, the home of the President of the United States. [4]

References

  1. ^ Robert Hughes, American Visions: The Epic History of Art in America, excerpted online at Jacob Lawrence, Artchive. com.
  2. ^ Jacob Lawrence, USCG biography
  3. ^ Program for "Making a Life | Creating a World", Northwest African American Museum, 2008. The Northwest African American Museum (NAAM in Seattle Washington opened March 8, 2008.
  4. ^ Jacqueline Trescott, Green Room Makeover Incorporates a Colorful Past, Washington Post, September 20, 2007. Events 451 - The Battle of Chalons takes place in North Eastern France. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Accessed 29 December 2007. Events 1170 - Thomas Becket: Thomas Becket Archbishop of Canterbury is assassinated inside Canterbury Cathedral by followers of King Henry II Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.

Sources

External links

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