Originally published by Trendependent.com.
5/21/21.
This is the first installment of a four-part series.
Critically acclaimed fine artist, Jacob Lawrence has created some of the most inspiring artworks of the 20th century. While being accused of constructing visual stories that were (considered) ugly and rebellious of tradition, the painter’s work actually provided a historical map of the moments that remained silenced in American history books.
Maturing as a young black male, and growing up as an artist during a combusting racial climate, Lawrence continued to construct candid representations of omitted marginalized figures throughout history – a feat nothing short of radical for his era.
He always proclaimed that his depictions of black culture were heavily influenced by his dedicated research from the prestigious Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (NYC), as well as his everyday life experiences around Harlem, NYC. He used the simplest of tools to paint the most vivid images of despair, angst and invisibility without hesitation! Mr. Lawrence was indeed a brave warrior in galvanizing masses of people into revelatory historical speculation and illuminated acknowledgement of an American past openly laid bare.
The message in Jacob Lawrence’s work is timeless and always draws the brightest light from the darkest corners of history for the unseen and the unheard, while releasing a mighty battle cry to guide them. Lawrence’s works have featured scenes from the great emigration, black heroes and most importantly, inclusivity. We will discuss these aspects and more in our upcoming five-part series on Lawrence’s art-life, art-work and art-evolvement.
Currently the artist’s newly reunited 30 panel series “Jacob Lawrence: The American Struggle” is completing its only West Coast leg of a five-city exhibition tour at the Seattle Art Museum (3/5 – 5/23.) The tour’s final stop will be the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., from 6/26 – 9/21. The series is a poignant portrayal of the pivotal voices that were excluded from the original historical documentation of the construction and founding of the United States. The 30 panels have not been exhibited together since 1958.
Lawrence’s artistic and political intensity is complimented in the exhibition by three contemporary artists taught, influenced and tattooed by Lawrence’s brilliance. They are Derek Adams, Bethany Collins and Henry Willis Thomas. All three artists have defined themselves individually; however, as a group (coupled with Lawrence’s audacious strokes and palette) they enable a kaleidoscopic experience of righteousness, complexity and defiance. If you are near any of the remaining tour cities and are fortunate enough to score a ticket to see this auspicious exhibition, it will be well worth the trip.
