3. Map of Harlem – 1920’s

4. What is a Renaissance ? the activity, spirit, or time of the great revival of art, literature, and learning in Europe beginning in the 14th century and extending to the 17th century; it marked the transition from the medieval to the modern world a renewal of life, vigor, interest, rebirth, revival, etc. the term renaissance related to any similar revival in the world of art and learning

5. In the early 1920s, African American artists, writers, musicians, and performers were part of a great cultural movement known as the Harlem Renaissance. The huge migration to the North after World War I brought African Americans of all ages and walks of life to the thriving New York City neighborhood called Harlem. Doctors, singers, students, musicians, shopkeepers, painters, and writers, congregated, forming a vibrant mecca of cultural affirmation and inspiration. What was the Harlem Renaissance ?

6. Estimate African American Migration from Selected States (1910 – 1920) Alabama - 70,800 Georgia - 74,700 Illinois + 69,800 Louisiana - 51, 200 Michigan + 38, 700 Mississippi - 129, 600 New York + 63, 100 Ohio + 69, 400 Pennsylvania + 82, 500 South Carolina - 74, 500

7. The notion of "twoness", a divided awareness of one's identity, was introduced by W.E.B. DuBois, one of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and the author of the influential book The Souls of Black Folks (1903): "One ever feels his two-ness - an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled stirrings: two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder." W.E.B. DuBois

8. Common Themes alienation marginality the use of folk material the use of the blues tradition the problems of writing for an elite audience

9. The Writing Style of the Harlem Renaissance 1. The Protagonist: Usually a male, the protagonist evolves in a social context. S/he is a dynamic character where everything is moving in parallel with him (setting, other characters, etc.) 2. The Setting: The telling of the story by the protagonist (which happens to usually be the writer) comes always as a flashback so as the "time" of the novel flows from past to present. As far as the "place" is concerned, the protagonist, during his/her journey, moves from one place to another in a high complexity and density. The place has a great impact on the development of the main character in building his/her identity. 3-The Theme The main theme is the telling of a personal story of a black protagonist who struggles in the confrontations with the white society seeking for his/her identity as a human being, and evolves and builds a new vision for the black man/woman in a society equal to any other individual.

10. Famous Harlem Renaissance Writers Countee Cullen Langston Hughes Zora Neale Hurston Claude McKay Jean Toomer Arna Bontemps James Weldon Johnson W.E.B. DuBois

11. Countee Culleen

12. Langston Hughes

13. Zora Neale Hurston Zora Neale Hurston was remarkable in that she was the most widely published black woman of her day. She authored more than fifty articles and short stories as well as four novels, two books on folklore, an autobiography, and some plays. At the height of her success she was known as the “Queen of the Harlem Renaissance.”

14. Claude McKay

15. W.E.B. DuBois

16. Jessie Redmon Fauset

17. Paul Laurence Dunbar

18. The Music Style of the Harlem Renaissance As Samuel Floyd points out, in his brilliant essay on the Harlem Renaissance, “The music of the black theater shows, the dance music of the cabarets, the blues, ragtime of the speakeasies and the rent parties, the spirituals, and the art songs of the recitals and concert halls all created an ambiance for Renaissance activities and contemplation.” The music was based on the black folk materials which the musicians used as a source of inspiration and point of departure for artistic creation.

19. Famous Harlem Renaissance Musicians and Performers Ella Fitzgerald Josephine Baker Louis Armstrong Duke Ellington Count Basie Bessie Smith Bill “Bojangle” Robinson Billie Holiday Fats Waller

20. Billie “Lady Day” Holiday

21. Lady Day singing “Strange Fruit”

22. “Strange Fruit” Lady Day Holliday Southern trees bear strange fruit Blood on the leaves Blood at the root Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees Pastoral scene of the gallant south The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth The scent of magnolia sweet and fresh Then the sudden smell of burning flesh Here is a fruit for the crows to pluck for the rain to gather for the wind to suck for the sun to rot for the tree to drop Here is a strange and bitter crop

23. Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong

24. Louis Armstrong “When the Saints Go Marching In”

25. Fats Waller

26. Ella “Lady Ella” Fitzgerald

27. Bessie “Empress of the Blues” Smith

28. William “The Count” Basie

29. Edward K. “Duke” Ellington

31. The Visual Art Style of the Harlem Renaissance The visual art of the Harlem Renaissance was an attempt at developing a new African-American aesthetic in the fine arts. Believing that their life experiences were valuable sources of material for their art, these artists created a symbolic representation of the Harlem Renaissance era. Thematic content included Africa as a source of inspiration; African-American history; folk idioms (music and religion of the South); and, social injustice.

32. Famous Harlem Renaissance Artists Aaron Douglas Jacob Lawrence Romare Bearden William H. Johnson Faith Ringgold Henry Ossawa Tanner Palmer Hayden

33. Henry Ossawa Tanner The Banjo Lesson, 1893 Tanner wanted to show a positive image of the African-American by highlighting the sense of dignity and in the touching moment of the elder teaching the boy how to play the banjo. Tanner also chose the banjo because of its African origin and its being the most popular musical instrument used by the slaves in early America

34. Window Cleaning, 1935 “I refuse to compromise and see blacks as anything less than a proud and majestic people.” Aaron Douglas 1898-1979

35. William H. Johnson Swing Low, Sweet Chariot 1939 Johnson always showed great devotion to painting themes that celebrated Black Christianity. This painting is an example of one based on a literal interpretation of a spiritual occasion.

36. Palmer Hayden, The Janitor Who Paints, 1937 In this symbolic self- portrait, Hayden is at work in his basement studio, surrounded by the tools of his dual professions, a palette, brushes and easel, and a garbage can, broom, and feather duster. The painter’s studio is also his bedroom, and his bed, night table, alarm clock, and a framed picture of a cat are seen in the background.

37. This sculpture by Meta Warrick Fuller, anticipated the spirit and style of the Harlem Renaissance by symbolizing the emergence of the New Negro. The Awakening of Ethiopia 1914 Fuller said she was thinking about the average African-American, whom she envisioned “awakening, gradually unwinding the bondage of his past and looking out on life again, expectant and unafraid.”

38. Jacob Lawrence Aspiration 1988 Jacob Lawrence commented, “What did I see when I arrived in Harlem in 1930 I was thirteen years of age. I remember seeing the movement, the life, the people, the excitement. We were going through a great, great depression at that time, but despite that, I think, there was always hope.”

39. “Back to Africa” Harlem Renaissance was more than just a literary and artistic movement; it included: – racial consciousness; –"the back to Africa" movement led by Marcus Garvey; and, –racial integration

40. Harlem Renaissance brought the Black experience clearly within the general American cultural history a.Remarkable coincidences and luck, provided a sizable chunk of real estate in the heart of Manhattan. b.The Black migration, from south to north, changed their image from rural to urban, from peasant to sophisticate. c.Harlem became a crossroads where Blacks interacted with and expanded their contacts internationally. d.Harlem Renaissance profited from a spirit of self- determination which was widespread after W.W.I.

41. The Harlem Renaissance had a huge significance in American culture at the time and in the future a. It became a symbol and a point of reference for everyone to recall. b. The name, more than the place, became synonymous with new vitality, Black urbanity, and Black militancy. c. It became a racial focal point for Blacks the world over; it remained for a time a race capital. d. It stood for urban pluralism; Alain Locke wrote: "The peasant, the student, the businessman, the professional man, artist, poet, musician, adventurer and worker, preacher and criminal, exploiter and social outcast, each group has come with its own special motives... but their greatest experience has been the finding of one another." e. The complexity of the urban setting was important for Blacks to truly appreciate the variety of Black life. The race consciousness required that shared experience.

42. Harlem Renaissance's legacy is limited by the character of the Renaissance a. It encouraged the new appreciation of folk roots and culture. b. Peasant folk materials and spirituals provided a rich source for racial imagination and it freed the Blacks from the establishment of past condition. c. Harlem Renaissance was imprisoned by its innocence. The Harlem intellectuals, while proclaiming a new race consciousness, became mimics of Whites, wearing clothes and using manners of sophisticated Whites, earning a variety of epithets from the very people they were supposed to be championing. d. Harlem Renaissance could not overcome the overwhelming White presence in commerce which defined art and culture. What was needed was a rejection of White values; they had to see Whites, without awe of love or awe of hate, and themselves truly, without myth or fantasy, in order that they could be themselves in life and art.