Monday Morning Museum: The Harlem Renaissance

The Harlem Renaissance – Early 1920s to 1930s

The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned the 1920s. At the time, it was known as the "New Negro Movement", named after the 1925 anthology by Alain Locke. Though it was centered in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, many French-speaking black writers from African and Caribbean colonies who lived in Paris were also influenced by the Harlem Renaissance. - Wikipedia.org

In addition to William Henry Johnson (see art example below), other artists of the Harlem Renaissance are Lois Mailou Jones, Sargent Claude Johnson, Jacob Lawrence, Archibald Motley and Romare Bearden.

Café, circa 1938-1940 by William Henry Johnson (1901-1970)

The strong colors and silhouettes in this painting evoke the African art that black artists and writers had embraced during the Harlem Renaissance. But this affectionate couple also has the fashionable flash of zoot-suiters in the big band era. Above the table, the two figures coolly take in the café scene; below, a tangle of legs and limbs hints at the erotic energy of a night on the town. – Smithsonian American Art Museum

Last Monday’s Art – The Group of Seven
Next Monday’s Art – The Hudson River School

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Monday Morning Museum: American Scene Painting – Social Realism

Social Realism – In America from 1931 to 1940

Social Realism, also known as Socio-Realism, is an artistic movement, expressed in the visual and other realist arts, which depicts social and racial injustice, and economic hardship through unvarnished pictures of life's struggles; often depicting working-class activities as heroic. The movement is a style of painting in which the scenes depicted typically convey a message of social or political protest edged with satire. – Wikipedia.org

In addition to Jacob Lawrence (see art example below), other well-known Social Realism painters are Ben Shahn and Jack Levine.

The Funeral, 1938 by Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000)

Last Monday’s Art – Regionalism
Next Monday’s Art – Art Deco

Top of post: "Social Realism" graphic created by Adrean Darce Brent
Below: “Monday Morning Museum” logo created by Adrean Darce Brent