Jacob Lawrence Essay Example for Free

Jacob Lawrence Essay 1.0 Background Jacob Lawrence, one of the most important artists of the 20th century and best known for his series of narrative paintings depicting important moment in African American history was born on 7th September 1917 in Atlantic City (pbs.org, para. 1). He spent a portion of his childhood life in Pennsylvania after which his parents separated in 1924. Jacob and his siblings went with the mother to New York and settled in Harlem. He was introduced to art at his teen age when his mother enrolled him in Utopia Children’s center which provided an after school art program in Harlem. By 1930’s he could participate in the art programs at the Harlem Art Workshop and the Harlem community art centre, where he got a chance to meet leading American artists of the time such as Augusta Savage and Charles Alton, the director of Harlem workshop at the time and who later became a professor of art at Howard University (pbs.org, para.1). Having trained as a painter at the Harlem workshop inside the New York Public Library’s 113 5th street branch, and despite being much younger than   most of the artists and other writers who took part in the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920’s, Lawrence was a force to recon with (Hughes, para.2). He was not interested in the type of idealized and fake primitives of blacks otherwise referred to as the Noble Negroes in art Deco guise, as they were usually produced as an antidote to the stereotypical racists. He gained confidence particularly from Alain Locke, who was a Harvard trained artist and also the first black Rhodes scholar in America. Locke strongly believed in the pieces of work done by blacks, as it could speak explicitly to African-Americans while still embodying value as well as self critical powers of modernism. Precisely, Locke believed that, â€Å"There is in truly great art in no essential conflict between racial or national traits and universal human valu es† (Hughes, para. 2). 2.0 The work of Jacob Lawrence Lawrence became well known at the age of 21 years when he did his â€Å"Toussant L’Ouverture Series†, a 41 painting collection that depicted a successful rebellion by the Haitian slaves. Three years later at the age of 24, his work became the first from an African American to be included in the permanent collection of the New York Museum of Modern Art (Lawrence, para. 1). Lawrence therefore considered himself to be both an artist and an educator. He used his art to tell stories about the black American history as he felt that this was being overlooked in the teaching of history in America. For instance, Lawrence did a forty panel series which he called â€Å"The Life of Harriet Tubman† who in the 1800s had helped many slaves in the north to free through an Underground Railroad (Sernett, pp. 218). From his childhood, Lawrence had been steeped in stories about movement and migration and therefore with encouragement from Locke, he worked hard to get historical background and related facts right. Months of research in the Schomburg Collection of the Public Library which is the chief archive of African American life and history in New York, saw the realization of his other piece of work, â€Å"Migration Series† which could help trace the mass influx of African Americas from the south to the North as a result of World War I. The two series are known for use of detailed titles and creative images to create narrative history of events (Lawrence, para. 2). Additionally, the series are notable for lack of language use. The author was in no way a propagandist. He however advocated for front social realism which was at its peak in America at the time as evidenced by labor camps, prisons, deserted villages, city slums and race riots which were mainly his subject matter. Lawrence attributed his success to his black experience which was his heritage, more so as far as black Americans struggle to secure independence and justice was concerned. Even during adult hood, he extended this theme to include all human struggles for liberty, and although each of his paintings evidenced his sense of humor as well as human pain and misery, they offered hope for the human condition. In 1937, Lawrence secured a two-year scholarship to the American artist school, where he studied with the   Wilson, Philip Riesman and Eugene Moreley before marrying one of the pupil of Savage who was also a west Indian painter, Gwendolyn Knight in 1941.This scholarship took him out of Harlem but he still maintained a close contact with the community which was the focus of his work as evidenced by his work â€Å"Street Scene Restaurant†, â€Å"Street orator†, â€Å"Interior† and â€Å"Interior scenes† which were shown in 1938. Other notable work that was done by Lawrence were a 32 painting series, â€Å"The Frederic Douglass† and the 22 panel   series that he painted while on honeymoon in 1941. In the explosive 1960s, Lawrence painted what most critics have called his work of â€Å"Protest† in favor of civil rights struggle in the South. In one of his paintings, â€Å"The ordeal of Alice†, he showed a black girl dressed in white trying to get into a newly desegregated school in the South but demonic tormentors attack her with arrows in a scene that is common only with religious martyrs. In the late 1960s though, Lawrence progressed from portraying racial injustice into showing racial harmony. At this time he did his series, â€Å"Builders†, which showed both whites and blacks working together in building projects, scenes which could be interpreted to mean rebuilding the society. Despite the changing trends, both political and in artistic field, Lawrence remained true to his own original and creative path until his death in June 9, 2000 (Sernett, pp. 82). 3.0 His work compared with others A comparison between the work of art done by Jacob Lawrence and that of other artists of his time reveals a lot of difference, with most these differences inclined to Lawrence’s outstanding. While most of the artists, especially those doing watercolor paintings like him, are usually inclined to beauty and elegance, Lawrence was different. Even the most recent artists such as Thomas Deir, despite making  Ã‚   the highest sale of $ 10,000 in the Waikiki gallery, do not seem to belong to the same school of thought with Jacob Lawrence (hawaiiart.com). The work of Lawrence, despite bringing out beauty, also carries some real life meanings as far as human life is concerned. The â€Å"Toussant L’Ouverture Series†, for example is a series that is not only elegant but also carries success. Depicting a successful rebellion by slaves, especially at the time when slave trade and slavery accompanied with a lot of other human misery was rampant, the painting can be said to carry more than Thomas Dier’s   â€Å"Mokulua Milky Way   valued at   over $2000† as far as   human values and relevance   is concerned (hawaiiart.com). Other renowned artists such Judy Abott or Michelle Amatrula, though recognized for making huge sales from their pieces of work, do not address contemporary issues like Lawrence does. The other artist who could in away compares to Jacob Lawrence is Martin Johnson Heade (1819-1904) who is particularly known for his Luminists landscape particularly of the storms and marshes in South America as well as still life paintings. Martin Johnson Heade (originally Heed) was equally a talented artist of the nineteenth century. He is remembered for   his flora, fauna and landscape paintings that do not only have a rich effect of color and light but could also portray some poetic sentiments. Lawrence however still appears to outweigh Heade in what can be drawn from a critical analysis of their work. Put in simple terms, while the work from both artists share beauty, Lawrence has some educative aspect injected into his work. By all definitions, Lawrence was better than most of the other artists of the time as evidenced by the numerous awards and credit that goes to his name. In 1974, the Whitney Museum of American Art held a major retrospective of the work done by Lawrence which later resulted to his election to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1983, while in 1977, he received an invitation to paint during the inauguration of Jimmy Carter. In May 2007, the White House Historical Association bought Lawrence’s â€Å"Builders† shown below for $2.5 million at auction. This painting today hangs in the white House Green Room (Crehan, para.5). 4.0 Conclusion Jacob Lawrence is probably one of the best artists that ever appeared on the face of earth. His work reveals a rare talent that he recognized and exploited fully. Despite being a black American, he beat all odds to become one of the best artists of the 21st century while the plight of fellow black Americans remained a dear concern to his heart. This is what his work addressed.  Jacob Lawrence is no doubt a legend whose life deserves recognition by and over generations while his artistic work will continue to demand respect over centuries.

The Louisiana Purchase :: essays research papers

The Louisiana Purchase was the purchase of the French province of Louisiana by the United States in 1803. The province stretched from the Mississippi River westward to the Rocky Mountains and from the Gulf of Mexico northward to Canada, covering an area equal to that of the United States, prior to the purchase. Except for the Mississippi River on the east and Canada on the north, the boundaries were indefinite. The United States also claimed West Florida between the Mississippi and Perdido rivers as part of the purchase, but Spain denied the claim. As a result of the purchase, the port of New Orleans and the entire Mississippi system were secured for American shippers, and the country was free to expand toward the Pacific Ocean. The price wa $15,000,000 for an area of 828,000 square miles (2,145,000 km) - less than 3 cents an acre. In 1800, Napoleon Bonaparte got Spain to return it by a secret treaty. Napoleon planned a French empire in the New World, with its center at New Orleans. President Jefferson was alert to the dangers of a powerful nation controlling the mouth of the Mississippi. He instructed the American minister to France, Robert R. Livingston, to open negotiations to buy New Orleans and some territory east of the city. A treaty would have to satisfy the financial claims that some United States citizens had against the French government. Finally the French continued to claim that the province still belonged to Spain. Jefferson sent James Monroe to help with the negotiations, and authorized him to spend no more than $10,000,000. Napoleon offered Livingston and Monroe the entire province of Louisiana in a treaty dated April 30, 1803. The American negotiators agreed to pay $11,250,000 to France and $3,750,000 for the French debts to United States citizens. The purchase forced Jefferson to give a broad interpretation to the Constitution, which did not specifically grant authority for acquiring new territory.

The Watts Riot

It is August 17 1965 and, we just went through the worst week of our lives things are finally starting to calm down. As we are going into town to see what is left, and to access the damages, we try to understand how this got so out of control. In the course of seven days, 34 lives were lost and, more than 1,032 were injured, the police had arrested 3,438 people and, there are over $40 million in property damages (Watts Riots 2013). This all started from what should have been a routine arrest by the police of young Black boy suspected of driving while intoxicated.It all started the in the early evening on August 11,1965 when police pulled over two brothers named Marquette and Ronald Frye just blocks from their house. As the police proceeded to give Marquette a field sobriety test that he failed, Ronald walked to their house get his mother, Rena Price. Marquette had been cooperating with the police when his mother showed at the scene until she started yelling at him for drinking. At th is point Marquette pushed his mother and headed toward a crowd that had gathered. As the police tried to catch him, his mother began to attack the officers that were struggling with the brothers.As the police began to use force to control the situation, the mother, and the crowd began to get hostel. Anger at the scene escalated and bitter incriminations from both sides followed (144 hours 2010). Both brothers and their mother were arrested. As the police began to withdraw from the scene a woman spit on an officer and was arrested. As the last car left the scene it was stoned by the increasing angry onlookers. The growing mob began stoning cars, pulling Whites from the cars and beating them and they also targeted a police command post that had been set up in the area.By early morning the issues seemed all under control except for a few incidents of rock throwing and vandalism, twenty – nine people were arrested throughout the night (144 hours). Thursday August 12, 1965 a meeti ng was held between police and black leaders, due to actions from both sides the meetings failed to come to an agreement to stop the rioting. Police had cordoned off our city in attempt to limit the riot to one area. Later in the evening the National Guard was put on alert. At that time the crowd had grown to more than 1,000 people. The crowds began setting fires, looting the stores, overturning cars, and attacking firemen.It was very clear they were targeting only white businesses, pedestrians, and motorists. By midday the riot had tripled in size and the crowds were focusing on looting the stores in the business strict, assistance had all but disappeared due to firemen and ambulances refusing to enter the area out of fear for their lives. Around midday the National Guard had arrived but the rioting continued to increase. Soon the rioters were covering as far as 50 to 60. (Watts, 2013) Friday August 13, 1965 the riot continues the escalated and is now spred throughout the city the city is starting to look a foreign war zone that you only see on television.There are block of burning building the National Guard are patrolling the street and Marshal law, and a curfew is in effect. You can still hear the shots ring from rioter shooting at the firemen attempting to put out the fires. On Saturday it was reported there more than 3,000 National Guard on station throughout the city and this caused the rioting to begin to slow down. By Sunday most of the riot had ceased and all the major fires were under control. Wednesday August 18 1965. Thing have begun to calm down, and the city is trying to go through and assess all the damages, luckily for me and my family, we have made it through with little loss.As we look around the city, I am in disbelief that our citizens have caused this much damage and anguish to each other. I don’t know if we will ever to fully recover both financially and emotionally. In all, more than 300 fires had been set, 34 lives were lost and more than 1,032 were injured the police had arrested 3,438 people and there are over $40 million in property damages. It is time we as a people come together to make a change, we can’t continues hurting each other. All we can do if attempt to move forward, learn from all this and make sure it never happens again

A Look at Desegregation as a Part of a Larger Phenomenon...

The term melting pot for America came about during the early 1900s in reference to Americas acceptance of all immigrants and races during the time period. America has, since the coining of the term, proven that it was an artificial label with little resemblance to the truth. Throughout history a great deal of white Americans practiced seclusion, segregation, and alienation of rights for non Anglo-Saxon peoples. Perhaps none have suffered more than the African Americans at the hand of Anglo-Saxon Americans. In his South Carolina Schools and Colleges Desegregation manuscript William E. Rone details the hard fought court cases against educational segregation in South Carolina during the 50s and 60s as well as events which related to those cases. The cases depict a story of intolerance, disregard for the law with respect to desegregation, and outright harm to non-white Americans. Knowing Americas past and present one could say that America is more akin to an un-tossed salad than a melti ng pot. All the pieces coexisting together, yet perpetually divided by racial and cultural barriers as well as anger and fear of the unfamiliar. America, and the South especially, provided substandard segregated schooling and amenities for African Americans which perpetuated the culture gap and only widened the separation of races in America during the mid 1900s. One such example of the disparity between white and black schools was busing in Clarendon County South Carolina. OftenShow MoreRelatedResidential Segregation In America Essay1950 Words   |  8 PagesResidential Segregation According to Massey and Denton (1988), residential segregation â€Å"is the degree to which two or more groups live separately from one another, in different parts of the urban environment†(282). Now this is a pretty general definition, but it gives basic but good insight as to what residential desegregation is talking about. In this paper, I will mostly be focusing on residential segregation as it relates to the black and white populations in relation to one another, although IRead MoreThe History of Titile IX Essay4884 Words   |  20 PagesThe History of Titile IX Sex. That one little word has led to a mini-revolution in all aspects of a girls education, from Kindergarten to Graduate School, all across the nation. In 1972, Title IX was adopted as the landmark legislation for prohibition of gender discrimination in schools, and was signed into law, by President Richard Nixon, on June 23. This legislation encompasses both academics and athletics. Title IX reads: No person in the U.S. shall, on the basis of sex be excluded fromRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 PagesBrier, and Roy Rosenzweig Also in this series: Paula Hamilton and Linda Shopes, eds., Oral History and Public Memories Tiffany Ruby Patterson, Zora Neale Hurston and a History of Southern Life Lisa M. Fine, The Story of Reo Joe: Work, Kin, and Community in Autotown, U.S.A. Van Gosse and Richard Moser, eds., The World the Sixties Made: Politics and Culture in Recent America Joanne Meyerowitz, ed., History and September 11th John McMillian and Paul Buhle, eds., The New Left Revisited David M