How old was Aaron Douglas when he died?
Aaron Douglas died in Nashville on February 2, 1979 at the age of 79. Do you find this information helpful? A small donation would help us keep this available to all. Forego a bottle of soda and donate its cost to us for the information you just learned, and feel good about helping to make it available to everyone.
Where did Aaron Douglas grow up?
Aaron Douglas was born and raised in Topeka, Kansas, on May 26, 1899, to Aaron Douglas, Sr, a baker from Tennessee, and Elizabeth Douglas, a homemaker and amateur artist from Alabama. His passion for art derived from admiring his mother's drawings.
How would you describe Aaron Douglas?
At the service, Walter J. Leonard, the university's president at the time, remembered Douglas with the following statement: "Aaron Douglas was one of the most accomplished of the interpreters of our institutions and cultural values.
Where can I find the Aaron Douglas papers?
Aaron Douglas Papers at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library. Aaron Douglas: Teacher Resource published by the Spencer Museum of Art, at the University of Kansas.
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Where did Aaron Douglas live?
TopekaNashvilleAaron Douglas/Places livedAaron Douglas was born into a rather large, proud, and politically active African American community in Topeka, Kansas.
When did Aaron Douglas die?
February 2, 1979Aaron Douglas / Date of death
What age did Aaron Douglas die?
79 years (1899–1979)Aaron Douglas / Age at death
Where is Aaron Douglas aspiration?
Aspiration (1936), by the Harlem Renaissance artist Aaron Douglas (1899–1979), is on view in Gallery 10 at the de Young. The painting is one of two extant paintings from a four-part mural cycle that Douglas created for the Hall of Negro Life building at the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition in Dallas.
Who was Aaron Douglas married to?
Alta Sawyer DouglasAaron Douglas / Spouse (m. 1926–1958)
Why was Aaron Douglas called the father of black American art?
Aaron Douglas was the most prominent artist-illustrator of the Harlem Renaissance, a movement of the 1920s during which African Americans developed a unique artistic style. He has been dubbed "father of African-American art."
What was Aaron Douglas most famous work?
Douglas created some of his best-known painting in the 1930s. It was then that he created one of his most legendary works… a series of murals entitled “Aspects of Negro Life” that featured four panels, each depicting a different part of the African-American experience.
Where is the creation by Aaron Douglas?
The Creation is a Harlem Renaissance Gouache and Paper Painting created by Aaron Douglas in 1927. It lives at the SCAD Museum of Art in the United States.
Where is Aaron Douglas from?
Topeka, KSAaron Douglas / Place of birth
What does the painting aspiration mean?
Aspiration by Aaron Douglas (1936) represents the path of the African American people from the bonds of slavery to the city on the hill. Douglas is painted Aspiration during the Harlem Renaissance, a new age for the African Americans as they reach for equality.
For what event was aspiration created?
Aspiration, created for the Texas Centennial of 1936, conveys Aaron Douglas's perception of a link between African/Egyptian and African American cultures.
Why was Aaron Douglas significant to the Harlem Renaissance?
Harlem Renaissance, Paintings and Art Douglas created powerful images of African American life and struggles and won awards for the work he created for these publications, ultimately receiving a commission to illustrate an anthology of philosopher Alain LeRoy Locke's work, entitled The New Negro.
Who was Aaron Douglas?
Aaron Douglas was an African American painter and graphic artist who played a leading role in the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s. His first major commission, to illustrate Alain LeRoy Locke's book, The New Negro, prompted requests for graphics from other Harlem Renaissance writers. By 1939, Douglas started teaching at Fisk University, ...
How did Douglas die?
Douglas died at the age of 79 on February 2, 1979, in a Nashville hospital. According to some reports, he died of a pulmonary embolism. A special memorial service was held for Douglas at Fisk University, where he had taught for nearly 30 years.
What was the name of the magazine that Douglas worked on?
Around the same time, Douglas worked on a magazine with novelist Wallace Thurman to feature African American art and literature. Entitled Fire!!, the magazine only published one issue. With his reputation for creating compelling graphics, Douglas became an in-demand illustrator for many writers.
What did Douglas do for the New Negro?
Douglas created powerful images of African American life and struggles and won awards for the work he created for these publications, ultimately receiving a commission to illustrate an anthology of philosopher Alain LeRoy Locke's work , entitled The New Negro.
Who was Douglas married to?
In 1926, Douglas married teacher Alta Sawyer, and the couple's Harlem home became a social Mecca for the likes of Langston Hughes and W.E.B. Du Bois, among other powerful African Americans of the early 1900s. Around the same time, Douglas worked on a magazine with novelist Wallace Thurman to feature African American art and literature. Entitled Fire!!, the magazine only published one issue.
Who is the father of black American art?
Early Life. Born in Topeka, Kansas, Aaron Douglas was a leading figure in the artistic and literary movement known as the Harlem Renaissance. He is sometimes referred to as "the father of Black American art.". Douglas developed an interest in art early on, finding some of his inspiration from his mother's love for painting watercolors.
Where was Aaron Douglas born?
Aaron Douglas was born and raised in Topeka, Kansas, on May 26, 1899, to Aaron Douglas, Sr, a baker from Tennessee, and Elizabeth Douglas, a homemaker and amateur artist from Alabama. His passion for art derived from admiring his mother's drawings. He attended Topeka High School, during which he worked for Skinner's Nursery and Union Pacific material yard, and graduated in 1917.
Who is Aaron Douglas?
Aaron Douglas (May 26, 1899 – February 2, 1979) was an American painter, illustrator and visual arts educator. He was a major figure in the Harlem Renaissance. He developed his art career painting murals and creating illustrations that addressed social issues around race and segregation in the United States by utilizing African-centric imagery. Douglas set the stage for young, African-American artists to enter public arts realm through his involvement with the Harlem Artists Guild. In 1944, he concluded his art career by founding the Art Department at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. He taught visual art classes at Fisk until his retirement in 1966. Douglas is known as a prominent leader in modern African-American art whose work influenced artists for years to come.
What is Aaron Douglas's archive?
In 2016, with the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, an archive of artworks created by or having to do with Aaron Douglas became available on their website. Users can access the full references of these pieces of art to determine the creation date, subject of the art, and its current residence.
Where is Aaron Douglas's teacher resource?
Aaron Douglas: Teacher Resource published by the Spencer Museum of Art, at the University of Kansas.
How did Aaron Douglas influence the modernist movement?
Aaron Douglas pioneered the African-American modernist movement by combining aesthetic with ancient African traditional art. He set the stage for future African-American artists to utilize elements of African and African-American history alongside racial themes present in society.
What did Aaron Douglas do to help the African American community?
Through his collaborations, illustrations, and public murals, he established a method of combining elements of modern art and African culture to celebrate the African-American experience and call attention to racism and segregation.
What did Douglas do with his figures?
Flattening his figures to two-dimensional silhouettes and generalizing their forms to be generic men and women, Douglas created imagery that celebrated African and African-American themes in terms that were universal and integrative. He employed this style across a range of different media, including painting, illustration, murals, and prints.
What is the sound of Douglas's work?
The combination of both smooth and jagged forms in Douglas's work may be read as an embodiment of jazz music, which, according to O'Meally, is "...a classic sound, one as multifaceted and pristine as a diamond," which simultaneously has "graininess and grumble.".
Who is the professor who praised Douglas's geometric shapes?
They stamp Mr. Douglas as one of the coming American artists."'. English professor Robert O'Meally sees Douglas's use of geometric shapes as deriving from the influence of Harlem Renaissance jazz (in particular the music of Douglas's friend Duke Ellington).
Who is the father of black art?
Aaron Douglas, the father of Black American art, told his wife in 1925 that through his work he would upend the notion that you have to be white to be truly beautiful. He said: “It takes lots of training or a tremendous effort to down the idea that thin lips and straight nose is the apogee of beauty.” His body of work went some way to realizing this aim and in 1963 president JFK welcomed him into the White House in honor of his achievements.
Where was Aaron Douglas born?
Early life. Aaron Douglas was born and raised in Topeka, Kansas, on May 26, 1899, to Aaron Douglas, Sr, a baker from Tennessee, and Elizabeth Douglas, a homemaker and amateur artist from Alabama. His passion for art derived from admiring his mother's drawings. He attended Topeka High School, during which he worked for Skinner's Nursery ...
Who is Aaron Douglas?
For the Canadian actor, see Aaron Douglas (actor). Aaron Douglas (May 26, 1899 – February 2, 1979) was an American painter, illustrator and visual arts educator. He was a major figure in the Harlem Renaissance.
How did Aaron Douglas influence the modernist movement?
Aaron Douglas pioneered the African-American modernist movement by combining aesthetic with ancient African traditional art. He set the stage for future African-American artists to utilize elements of African and African-American history alongside racial themes present in society.
What is Aaron Douglas' style of art?
Aaron Douglas developed two art styles during his career: first as a traditional portraitist, then as a muralist and illustrator. Influenced by having worked with Winold Reiss, Douglas incorporated African themes into his artwork to create a connection between Africans and African Americans. His work is described as being abstract, in that he portrayed the universality of the African-American people through song, dance, imagery and poetry. Through his murals and illustrations for various publications, he addressed social issues connected with race and segregation in the United States, and was one of the first African-American visual artists to utilize African-centered imagery.
Where was Aaron Douglas's exhibition?
In 2007, the Spencer Museum of Art organized an exhibition called Aaron Douglas: African-American Modernist. It was held in Lawrence, Kansas, at the Spencer Museum of Art between September 8 to December 2, 2007, and traveled to the Frist Center for the Visual Arts in Nashville, Tennessee, from January 18 to April 13, 2008.
Who was the president of the Harlem Artists Guild?
During the height of his commissioned work as a muralist, Douglas served as president of the Harlem Artists Guild in 1935, an organization designed to create a network of young artists in New York City to provide support, inspiration, and to help out young artists during the Harlem Renaissance.
Overview
Career
In 1925, Douglas intended to pass through Harlem, New York, on his way to Paris to advance his art career. He was convinced to stay in Harlem and develop his art during the height of the Harlem Renaissance, influenced by the writings of Alain Locke about the importance of Harlem for aspiring African Americans. While in Harlem, Douglas studied under Winold Reiss, a German portraitist who encouraged him to work with African-centric themes to create a sense of unity between African …
Early life
Aaron Douglas was born and raised in Topeka, Kansas, on May 26, 1899, to Aaron Douglas, Sr, a baker from Tennessee, and Elizabeth Douglas, a homemaker and amateur artist from Alabama. His passion for art derived from admiring his mother's drawings. He attended Topeka High School, during which he worked for Skinner's Nursery and Union Pacific material yard, and graduated in 1917.
Legacy
Aaron Douglas pioneered the African-American modernist movement by combining aesthetic with ancient African traditional art. He set the stage for future African-American artists to utilize elements of African and African-American history alongside racial themes present in society.
In 2007, the Spencer Museum of Art organized an exhibition called Aaron Douglas: African-American Modernist. It was held in Lawrence, Kansas, at the Spencer Museum of Art between Se…
Style
Aaron Douglas developed two art styles during his career: first as a traditional portraitist, then as a muralist and illustrator. Influenced by having worked with Winold Reiss, Douglas incorporated African themes into his artwork to create a connection between Africans and African Americans. His work is described as being abstract, in that he portrayed the universality of the African-American people through song, dance, imagery and poetry. Through his murals and illustrations …
Notable works
• The February 1926 issue of The Crisis
• The May 1926 issue of The Crisis
• Mural at Club Ebony, 1927
• Illustrations for Paul Morand, Black Magic, 1929
External links
• Aaron Douglas: Depression Era Murals from American Studies at the University of Virginia
• Aaron Douglas Collection at the Special Collections and Archives at Fisk University.
• Aaron Douglas Papers at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library.