This first week's topic is visual art including painting, drawing and sculpture. A few books on the topic are on the desk between the circulation counter and the stairs.
Black Artists and Craftsmen in the Formative Years, 1750-1920
Work by black American artists has frequently been discussed as though it were a form of expression separate from that produced by artists of the majority culture. That this approach has been readily sanctioned comes as no surprise, for most literature on black American artists reflects sociological patterns that have been fostered by the tradition of classifying people and their culture according to race.
While one may argue the validity of distinct categories separating artists and craftsmen according to national origin and ancestral heritage, the most crucial issue will always be the quality of the work and its relevance to the society in which it was created. Like all forms of expression, art is seldom so ordered that any one style is acceptable to all who consider themselves artists. The black artist is no different from any other in his struggle to express his own individual sensitivity to order and form and at the same time relate to the cultural patterns of the time and place in which he lives. In this sense art, though seldom allowed to perform its function without critical analysis, knows no racial boundaries. It is ultimately a universal language of form, a visual dialogue about man's cultural history that can be read and understood without regard to the color of the artist. As a participant in this dialogue the black American artist can be seen as part of the mainstream despite the paucity of critical recognition.
David C. Driskell, from Two Centuries of Black American Art, 1976. Check out the book from Fogelson Library, call number N6538 .N5 D74 1976.
Check out artstor.org!
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| The Banjo Lesson: Henry Ossawa Tanner, The Banjo Lesson, 1893. Oil on canvas, 49" × 35½". Hampton University Museum. (Public Domain.) |
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| Henry Ossawa Tanner, 1907. Photo by Frederick Gutekunst. (Public Domain.) |
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| "Gettin' Religion" by Archibald John Motley, 1891-1981, painting 1948. |
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work of the United States Federal Government under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the US Code.
ARTIST RON BLACKBURN PAINTING AN OUTDOOR WALL MURAL AT THE CORNER OF 33RD AND GILES STREETS IN CHICAGO, 1973.
Photograph by John H. White, 1945-
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work of the United States Federal Government under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the US Code.
Also see these web pages for interesting information and some wonderful images:
biography.com
askart.com
blackartinamerica.com
