A History of African
American Artists
From 1792 to the Present
by Romare
Bearden and
Harry
Henderson (contributor)
The Other Side, African
American Art in
the Collection of Camille O and Bill Cosby
by Bill Cosby and Camille Cosby
"One ever
feels this twoness, an American a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two
unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged
strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder."
W.E.B. Du Bois, the
Souls of Black Folk
The
story of the legacy of Black Art or African American Art, a topic of which
we could never do full exploration on this web site, is as much a story
of individual black artists striving for fame and acceptance, as it is
the study of Black art's collective social significance. Black art and
its more U.S. located relative African American art - is a symbol and
product of both self and community expression. African American or black
self and community expression, have not always been well received, appreciated,
or accepted by the dominant Euro-American cultural institutions. This
of course states the obvious. In this regard, black artists have had two
major roads to self and community expression.
The
first option has been to master Euro-American art movements in order to
receive some measure of fame and acclaim within them. The second option
has been to explore the richness of the Black - African - and African
American Culture and art traditions in order to bring these cultural influences
forth in their artistic work.
There
of course have been, and presently are, countless African American Artists
creating outstanding Black art. It is however, impossible to cover them
all. Nevertheless, we will seek to give you a thumbnail sketch of seminal
Black artists and the evolution of the African American Art movement.
We will briefly profile Black artists who have advanced both the self
and community expression through their African American Art. While some
feel Black art truly came of age in the Harlem Renaissance, especially
in relation to expressing our intrinsic cultural gifts, we will start
our exploration of African American Art from its outgrowth in times of
slavery.
Some
African American art is inseparable from its African Art ancestors (like
southern patchwork quilts and their inspiration from Kente cloth and other
African Arts and folklore. Other forms of Black art like jazz and Black
literature, have received respect and support even beyond the Black community.
On the other hand, the irony is that Black painters and sculptors have
not enjoyed the same success. We should note and posit the paradox that
African American art , while much of it is inspired by African Art and
Black culture, has been created in the vortex of the American social context.
This is why various forms of African American art have become some of
America's few native - unique and original created arts.
When
we embark upon this review of the legacy of African American Art, lets
be constantly mindful that while the luminaries of Black musical art,
entertainment and the dramatic arts, and the Black literary art tradition
have received icon or household name status, the opposite has been true
of Black painters and sculptors. Many top Black artists, in the fine visual
arts, have received very little notoriety. It is for this reason that
we would like to reverse this state of affairs by writing the Souls of
Black Art.
Our
plan is to help make you more knowledgeable on the major figures of the
Black art or African American art traditions. This exploration on the
legacy of Black art is just a multi-part primer on our African American
art heritage and history. We hope that you are inspired to seek out other
sources and resources to further your knowledge of the subject. For when
we celebrate and understand the best of our Black art legacy, we understand
and inspire the best in ourselves both personally and collectively.
Click
the Following Link for the Legacy of Black
Art
Carols Art Shows, 50
Pine Street, Montclair New Jersey 07042. Showcasing the Artwork of Today's
Black Artist. Call Toll Free: 1-866-324-9669| For research and art appreciation
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