Harlem Renaissance

Art Analysis

By: Brayan Rodriguez

Artist: Aaron Douglas
Art: Paint
 Aaron Douglas
1899-1979

Aaron Douglas born in May 26,

1899 in Topeka, Kansas and die
in February 2, 1979 in
Nashville, Tennessee.
Aaron Douglas
1899-1979
During the 1930s, Douglas's career began
to gain momentum as he became a prominent
member of the Harlem Renaissance.

In 1935, Douglas helped to form, and

became the first president of, the Harlem
Artists Guild.

He to support and promote young

African-American artists, focusing in
issues faced by the African-American
community, including racism, unemployment,
and poverty.
Aaron Douglas
1899-1979

Douglas depicted African subjects in an

innovative and bold graphic style that was
inspired by modern art, particularly
Cubism.

He employed this style across a range of

different media, including painting,
illustration, murals, and prints.
 “An Idyll of the Deep South”

This piece was created in 1934, this work

forms the second of four murals that
Douglas created for the 135th Street branch
of the New York Public Library.

The image shows a group of African-American

people around trees and foliage, it looks
like they having fun but is a scene of
tragedy and forced labor.

This piece of art is important because it

critics the stereotypical notion of “happy
Southern plantation Negro”.
A group of African-Americans sit at the center, playing musical instruments.

A series of circles in the middle, a technique that Douglas often used to indicate movement and energy.

On the left, people kneel on the ground, weeping or praying, gathered around a rope hanging from a tree that references the
practice of lynching.

At the right, slaves obscured in darkness hold hoes and work the earth.

A small, white, five-pointed star at the upper-right corner of the image.

Describe

I see a circular light between the persons that are

suffering and praying,I see a light between people, I see
houses on a dark hill,I guess they are in some type of
farm, I see someone that sees hope in a star between the
dark branches in the gray sky.

It made me feel sad, but at the same time it make me feel

that there is some kinda hope in that star, or in the
people that are playing music in the middle.
Think

This art is taking places in the woods, the mood is happy between
suffering and forced hard work, the energy is positive in the
middle. The artist use kinda sad colors, I see a lot of black, dark
brown,dark green, and some of the persons in the left are white and
light gray.
Connect

This piece of art reminded me when I was more little, I use to

go to my grandpa ranch to help them work, there is a lot of
foliage, trees and and nature, and of course, it remind me the
work. We use to work the earth very similar to those people in
the art.
Final Thoughts
Aaron Douglas was one of the main head in the Rainansse harlem,
he inspire a lot of people with his art. A very significant
detail about he’s art is the circles that he use to use to
manifest energy, he use this detaille in some of his art.
Works Cited

● 1 https://www.nga.gov/collection/artist-info.38654.html
● 2 https://www.theartstory.org/artist/douglas-aaron/
● 3 https://www.biography.com/artist/aaron-douglas
The end