Thursday, May 15, 2008

BLACK HISTORY SPOTLIGHT: AARON DOUGLAS


Aaron Douglas (1898-1979) was a leading visual artist during the Harlem Renaissance.
Douglas was born May 26, 1898, in Topeka, Kansas. At an early age, his mother encouraged his creative interest in art; his drawings and paintings were welcomed on the walls of their home. He was also heavily influenced by Henry Ossawa Tanner, the first black painter to gain international acclaim.
In 1922, Douglas graduated with a B.A. in fine arts from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He taught art in Kansas City for a few years until he decided to pursue a career as an artist and headed to New York to earn his M.A. from Columbia University. In 1925, Douglas moved to New York City and settled in Harlem. A few months after his arrival, Douglas began producing illustrations for both The Crisis and Opportunity, the two most important magazines associated with the Harlem Renaissance. Douglas was also the illustrator for The New Negro, edited by Dr. Alain Locke.
Continue Reading »

No comments: