Before the Harlem Renaissance (circa World War I), the art style of the African Americans was widely unknown. Most African American artists of that time period tried to copy the style of famous White artists by painting landscapes and similar pieces. But, as soon as the initial bloom of Black culture unveiled, the rest of the African American community feed the era of individualism that would be soon known as the Harlem Renaissance.
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The Harlem Renaissance was a time for the African American community (especially in Harlem, New York) to bloom into an individualistic, known society, and one way to do that was through visual expressions of art. There were many artists, including Archibald Motley, who strove to make the African Americans known through a unique style of art, which could be immediately recognized African American art. |
Other artists of the time, like Lois Mailou Jones, took the culture of the Harlem Renaissance and depicted in in a more spiritual and abstract way. Instead of just depicting African Americans as a separate culture from the White culture of the time, these artists tried to literally capture the essence and soul of the African American community. |
J.F.