Aspects Of A Negro Life Essay - 1797 Words

Aspects Of A Negro Life Through his political activism and his artwork, Douglas dramatically changed the way other artists viewed African Americans. Politically, he helped found and served as president for the activist organization that drastically assisted with employing thousands of artists. he 1920s and 1930s brought drastic changes to the lives of many African Americans. Geographically, they migrated toward the urban, industrialized North, not only to escape racial prejudices and economic hardships, but also to attain higher social and economic status. This â€Å"Great Migration† transformed the streets of Harlem, New York, and gave rise to cultural changes of the New Negro movement. As this movement gradually gained popularity,†¦show more content†¦Through his political activism and artwork, Douglas was able to reveal the ideas and values exemplified during the Harlem Renaissance, despite significant criticism of his style. With this rebirth of traditional African culture, the number of African American artists rapidly increased. It became difficult for these artists to gain employment, even with the assistance of government work-relief programs, such as the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Set up by President Roosevelt as part of his New Deal program, the WPA offered jobs to thousands of unemployed artists, in an attempt to boost the nation’s morale, as well as stimulate the depressed economy. Despite its good intentions, the government program was unable to pay decent wages and failed to provide employment for nearly five million artists (American). In response to this failure, the Harlem Artist Guild, founded in 1928, aggressively began to work alongside the WPA to ensure the success of African American artists. Led by its first president, Aaron Douglas, the activist organization played an influential role in helping artists attain the recognition necessary to qualify them for the WPA work projects (Bearden 131). With the assistance of Douglas, the Harlem Artist Guild, and the WPA, millions of African American artists succeeded in gaining employment despite the hard times of the 1930s (Artnoir’s). In his own works, Aaron Douglas used a strong,Show MoreRelatedJohn Altoon s Jazz Players From 19501396 Words   |  6 Pagesoutlining geometric shapes along with his use of strong saturated colors. Altoon’s Jazz Players reflects Modernism by exemplifying cubism as well as Harlem Renaissance art through the use of angular, geometric shapes and the depiction of the â€Å"New Negro.† John Altoon was born in 1925 in Los Angeles and died in 1969 at the of age 43 due to a massive heart attack (Orange County Museum of Art Website). Altoon’s other works were known for being involved in L.A. avant-garde during the 1950’s and 1960’sRead MoreThe Negro Artist And The Racial Mountain873 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain† (1926) The article â€Å"The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain† by Hughes (1926), the author shows a situation that the African Americans felt underestimated for being black and attempted to embrace whites’ culture. This was because white people looked down on them during that era. He shows this by expressing his disappointment with a statement made by one of the most promising of the young Negro poets who says that, â€Å"I want to be a poet not a Negro poet,†Read MoreThe Negro And The Racial Mountain976 Words   |  4 Pageshis many notable poems, plays, and novels, Hughes also wrote essays such as The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain which Hughes gives insight into the minds of middle-class and upper-class Negroes. 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The article, however started with an interesting sentence which caught my attention, especially when the writer says ‘’The American Negro must remark his past in order to make his future’’ (670). This statement accordingRead MoreMartin Luther Kings I Have a Dream Speech: The Dream Has Been Achieved1587 Words   |  7 Pageswhat can we do to change that?† through a variety of social implications. These social implications, society’s lack of determination to end discrimination and promote equality, society’s careless take on the issue, and society’s lack of awareness of Negro determination have been made apparent in his speech. Through these implications King has made it apparent that his ideal s of freedom and equality are in place to change the way society looks at freedom and equality. My position on this question isRead MoreA Rose for Emily by William Faulkner1250 Words   |  5 PagesColonel Satoris’ law that â€Å"no Negro woman should appear on the streets without an apron† (Faulkner 119-120): a statement that seems somewhat out of place in this paragraph describing Miss Emily when she was alive. The purpose of placing this statement in this paragraph is to remind the reader of what type of culture this story is taking place in. The only African-American character present throughout the story is never referenced by name: solely being referred to as the Negro. This is interesting becauseRead MoreThe Negro Digs Up His Past By Arthur Schomburg1549 Words   |  7 Pages The article â€Å"The Negro Digs Up His Past’’ by Arthur schomburg on 1925, elaborates more on the struggles of slavery as well as how history tend to be in great need of restoration through mindfully exploring on the past. 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