Roots and Links, Inc. [second panel]
In artist Kara Walker's cut-paper silhouettes, troubling narratives of violence, lust, and exoticism play out. Her work draws upon imagery common in the antebellum South and is controversial for its use of racial stereotypes of both blacks and whites. Walker focuses on the role of stereotypes in shaping history and their complex function in American race relations today. Kara Walker, "Roots and Links, Inc.," 1997, black paper collage on prepared wove paper #blackhistorymonth
Street to Mbari by Jacob Lawrence
Artwork: In 1962 Jacob Lawrence traveled to Nigeria. He said of the visit: "I became so excited then by all the new visual forms I found in Nigeria—unusual color combinations, textures, shapes, and the dramatic effect of light—that I felt an overwhelming desire to...steep myself in Nigerian culture so that my paintings, if I'm fortunate, might show the influence of the great African artistic tradition." [“Street to Mbari,” 1964] #blackhistorymonth
The Seine by Henry Ossawa Tanner
Artwork: Henry Ossawa Tanner was born in Pittsburgh and studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, where he took a drawing class taught by American painter Thomas Eakins. Tanner left for Europe as a young man to escape racial prejudice and spent most of his professional career in France. The artist thrived there, exhibiting paintings at the Paris Salon and other expositions. ["The Seine," c. 1902, oil on canvas] #blackhistorymonth
Discover Black Artists in Our Collection
Artwork: Though widely recognized during his lifetime for his depictions of pastoral landscapes, self-taught artist Robert Seldon Duncanson (1821–1872) also created a small group of still-life paintings, including "Still Life with Fruit and Nuts," 1848. Classically composed with fruit arranged in a tabletop pyramid, the painting includes remarkable juxtapositions of smooth and textured surfaces, visible in the beautifully rendered apples and shells of scattered nuts. #blackhistorymonth
The First African American Regiment
Art + social studies lesson idea: Through this sculpture by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, students will learn about the 1st African American regiment that fought in the Civil War, then compare their portrayal in letters, films, and poetry. [Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Shaw Memorial, 1900, patinated plaster, U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site, Cornish, New Hampshire] #blackhistorymonth
Discover Black Artists in Our Collection
Artwork: Joshua Johnson was a free black artist who worked in Baltimore, MD during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Johnson is known for his skillful use of design and balanced composition, as seen in "The Westwood Children" (c. 1807). The son of a white father and a black mother, Johnson was born into slavery around 1763 and freed in 1782. Having received minimal training in art, perhaps from one of the artists in the Peale family, he practiced as a portrait painter. #blackhistorymonth
Discover Black Artists in Our Collection
Artwork: James Lesesne Wells had a long career in printmaking. First participating in the Federal Arts Project, which encouraged art-making during the Great Depression, he then taught at Howard University in DC for 4 decades. Wells was active in the civil rights movement and often depicted the struggles of African Americans in his work. "African Nude" (1980) reflects his interest in traditional African aesthetics and a commitment to representing African American history. #blackhistorymonth
Discover Black Artists in Our Collection
Artwork: Alma Thomas taught visual art in DC Public Schools for 35 years. She came into the professional art world later in life, but this did not prevent her from gaining recognition as an artist. In 1972, Thomas had a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York—the museum's first solo exhibition for an African American woman. She was one of two African American members of the Washington Color School. ["Red Rose Cantata," 1973] #blackhistorymonth
Washington, D.C. Government Charwoman (American Gothic) by Gordon Parks
Artwork: Gordon Parks, "Washington, D.C. Government charwoman (American Gothic)," July 1942, gelatin silver print, printed later, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Corcoran Collection (The Gordon Parks Collection) #blackhistorymonth
