Jacob Lawrence was born on September 7, 1917, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Originally from South Carolina and Virginia, How Many Black Contemporary Artist do you Know?

Why is he my Influence?Why is he my Influence? I’m Influenced by his life which was the and his life was expressed through his artwork. Not by style or by any particular technique His Harlem scenes remind me of Philadelphia He was uniqueHe was unique Even though he named influences, his work was his own style. He didn’t follow the trends of those around him How did I find out About Him?How did I find out About Him? I was searching for an African American Artist. Not many are spoken of in our curriculum out side of AFAM studies I didn’t have much direction until I researched about Lawrence

Difficulties For Black People:Difficulties For Black People: Before and even after 1930 for some time it was almost impossible for black Americans to attend the regular art academies The art schools and workshops of Harlem provided crucial training for the majority of black artists in the United States. Lawrence was one of the first artists trained in and by the African-American community in Harlem. His Inspiration:His Inspiration: His Harlem community His early work depicts scenes of Harlem life, people, rooms, facades, sidewalks, streets, and storefronts Several early paintings portray his immediate environment, including his studio, home, and family. Materials He Used:Materials He Used: In the workshops he used poster paints and brown paper both cheap and readily available-and used them throughout his career. Their limitations—flat, fast drying—suited his artistic aims. Using bold colors and elemental shapes in commercial tempera [poster] paints

Where Did He Work:Where Did He Work: Charles Alston's "306" studio at 306 West 141st Street In 1936 During this time he met such writers and activists as Alain Locke, Langston Hughes, Ralph Ellison, Claude McKay, and artists Aaron Douglas, Romare Bearden, and Augusta Savage, all of whom emphasized cultural identity and black achievement. Influences:Influences: Giotto, Breughel,and Goya,and modern masters such as van Gogh and Matisse. He became interested in African art and abstract art, and was aware of the narrative serial tradition in Egyptian and medieval wall paintings, as well as the contemporary mural cycles of Mexican muralists Diego Rivera and José Clemente Orozco. Schools And Recognition:Schools And Recognition: Attended the American Artists School in New York 1937 to 1939 on a scholarship Made paintings with the easel section of the WPA Federal Art Project 1938 he received recognition for his paintings of Harlem with a solo exhibition at the Harlem From 1939 to 1940.

Lawrence Is Finally Acknowledged After Years of Not being acknowledge by mainstream critics Migration Series Panel #3: In every town Negroes were leaving by the hundreds to go North and enter into Northern industry. The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC © Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence. Courtesy of the Jacob and Gwendolyn Lawrence Foundation The exhibition of The Migration Series represents Jacob Lawrence's breakthrough as a widely recognized artist. Although his work had been shown in community centers and libraries in Harlem, Lawrence's paintings had not appeared in any of New York City's commercial galleries. It wasn’t until 1941, that Edith Halpart gave this artist a chance of a lifetime that sky rocketed his career. He was involved in depicting the struggles of the civil rights movement and America’s war struggles as well.

Brownstones, Egg tempera on hardboard, 31 1/2 x 37 1/4 in. (80 x 94.9 cm). Collection of Clark Atlanta University Art Galleries; gift of Chauncey and Catherine Waddell © Clark Atlanta University Art Galleries Artwork © Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence, courtesy of the Jacob and Gwendolyn Lawrence Foundation

This is Harlem, Gouache on paper, 15 3/8 x 22 11/16 in. (39.1 x 57.6 cm). Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C.;

Subway, 1938 Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture Art & Artifacts Division, The New York Public Library Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundation. Ironers, 1943 Private collection © Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence. Courtesy of the Jacob and Gwendolyn Lawrence Foundation. Harriet Tubman Series, , Panel #4

Jacob Lawrence - one of the most important chroniclers of the African-American experience, died in his sleep, on June 9, 2000 at his home in Seattle after a lengthy illness. He was 82 years old. Jacob Lawrence's career spanned more than sixty years and includes more than 1,000 artworks. His paintings, drawings, prints, and murals depict life in America, particularly the lives, struggles and aspirations of African Americans. He was the first African-American artist to be represented by a major commercial gallery and the first to receive sustained mainstream recognition in the United States. Later, he would become a professor at Pratt Institute as well as the University of Washington, just to name a few of his accolades. He was avant-garde during a time when abstract expressionism and surrealism were the primary movements; yet, he remained to paint in his own style.

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