Avant-Garde

Avant-Garde is a word of French origin and it refers to innovative or experimental concepts, or the group of people producing them. This is the perfect word to describe the artists and creators during the Harlem Renaissance. During this period of time, there was a huge burst and flourishment of cultural and artistic creativity among African Americans. This period lasted between the end of World War I (1917) and the beginning of the Great Depression leading up to World War II (1930s). Artists of all different styles including sculptors, painters, printmakers and musicians were essential to this first Afrocentric cultural movement. They asserted pride in black life, a rising consciousness of inequality, and expression of the rapidly changing world around them through their works. My virtual exhibition titled Avant-Garde, aims to take the audience through the works of three artists from the Harlem Renaissance that have left an impact on America to this day.

The first stop in the virtual exhibit is Aaron Douglas, a major figure within the Renaissance as a painter, illustrator, and arts educator. He is well known as “The Father of Black Art.” Within his dedicated part of the exhibit, the focusing piece is his work within James Weldon Johnson’s, God’s Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse. This was a book of poems created in 1927 based from traditional African-American religious oratory. Douglas created paintings within the book to help bring these stories to life. A decade later in the 1930s, Douglas would then translate his original book illustrations into large oil paintings. Aaron Douglas was a pioneer within the African American community during this time to use art as a means to call attention to racism and segregation.

Richmond Barthé was a well-known sculptor form the Harlem Renaissance. As a sculptor, he focused on the human form and on capturing both every day and iconic members of the African American community. Within his part of the exhibit there are two sculptures presented made from the same medium. One is of a famous figure, and the other is of an everyday person. His sculptures are most known for their fluidity and sensuality, celebrating the black body and culture. He is an important figure both then and now. Barthé was a homosexual African American man in America during a time when it was not as open as present day. With this, Barthé took on the brave willingness to have an open mindset. It shows within his art work since he was also the very first sculptor within the community to center works around male nudity. Bravery and openness is instilled within his works of art for America to learn from today.

Archibald Motley Jr. was a distinguished painter best known for his depictions of black social life and jazz culture. Being biracial himself, it led to him becoming fascinated with skin tones and he claimed that he felt somewhere within the twilight. Motley Jr. aimed to show the white audience the beauty of African American life and celebration, while aiming to give the black audience the empowerment of their own skin colors. His amazing work that translated this message is what the last part of the exhibit is dedicated to showing. Instead of letting the fact of being biracial outcast himself, he turned it into his greatest strength of being able to be a part of both worlds and letting others view it through his work. With his work, we can see that with understanding and appreciation of each other’s cultures we as a people can coexist more peacefully.

Since America is the biggest melting pot of different ethnicities and cultures from all over the world, it is important to learn these lessons and apply it to present day America. Racism, discrimination, the inability to understand one another, and close mindedness, these are all issues that have been brought into the light by the artists of the Harlem Renaissance. Yet, just because a problem is identified, it doesn’t mean that it is solved. A lot of my classmates, including myself can identify with the issues presented as being minorities in America. It is important that museums and art exhibits take into account of the everyday people and minorities without the censorship. The censorships act as a form of inaccuracy, when that is disrespectful to the actual events and people that have endured the history. For example, when slavery, segregation, and discrimination happened, did America sugar coat their heinous acts? Soften the beatings, the verbal and emotional abuse, the harsh rules and regulations? No. It is disrespectful to censor all the hardships and obstacles that African Americans had to go through and persevere relentlessly.

Being an American, we have to deal with both the pros and cons of our history. We cannot hide the facts of the past, and we must not downplay the actions. We as Americans must learn from the past and not repeat the same mistakes. That is what both being an American, and also our greatest challenge as an American is.