Jacob Lawrence
Artist
Jacob Lawrence ( September 7th, 1917- June 9th, 2000) was an artist, a black male who chased black rights. Lawrence was a major part of the Harlem Renaissance in the 1900s. From his childhood of being put in the foster care system by his mom to be found again by her years later; him being a high school dropout and later on putting himself through art school from his job at the laundromat; he finds his passion. Art. He created a legacy for himself and created a paveway for other inspired artist, who crave the freedom he did. Lawrence painted Harriet tubman and Frederick Douglas and so many more inspiring people in between. His story speaks volume for black rights and an industrious way of being a leader.
Jacob Lawrence, Born September 7, 1917 from his mother Rosa Lee Lawrence and father Jacob Lawrence who later got divorced. Jacob had two other siblings, and because of the divorce the mother put her three kids in the foster care system, Jacob Lawrence was only 13 at this time. Later reconnecting with his mother in Harlem, New York he enrolls in school and later drops out at age 16 and becomes a laundromat employee. When Lawrence was in school he realizes while he found a passion for art, and decides to join the Harlem Art-Workshop where he is taught by Charles Alston. Luckily, Jacob was growing up during the Harlem Renaissance, a greatly impacted artistic movement, especially for the African American race, also known as the New Negro Movement. Jacob’s artwork was based on dynamic cubism along with blacks, browns and vivid colors to display his emotions, “Lawrence had great powers of concentration and an vacanny sense of design that made his compositions come alive with linear rhythms, patterns and color.” Jacob painted a lot of black rights, and symbolic experiences people of color had, he painted a Harriet Tubman series, Frederick Douglass series an he even painted a John Brown series. He has painted so many inspiring people who fought for black rights and freedom, that you can tell in his artwork that it meant something to him. In the John Brown series he painted the execution and he paints about John Brown so we can explore the life of the controversial abolinisist. In the American Painter they state, “Lawrence’s paintings and consistently portray their lives and struggles of the people he knows best, black americans.” During this period of his life from 1940-1949 most of his artwork was meant for the stories of historical figures he felt moved by the most, He wanted to imply the social injustice, they inspired him. He later on marries Gwendolyn Knight who is also a painter on July 24th, 1941. Shortly after this he gets drafted into the US Coast Guard for World War Two. He was the first racially integrated crew, and created 48 painting during his time in the Coast Guard; all of his paintings are lost. After the Coast Guard, Jacob was finding himself depressed, very depressed and not sure why he thought maybe because of the war and being in Coast Guard or his happiness was just completely lost. In response to these feelings, he put himself into the Hillside Hospital in Queens where he stayed for 11 months. In those 11 months Jacob painted his true feelings and raw emotional and all these paintings were emotional and symbolic of people of color. Once out of the hospital he started to paint mature and serious pieces of work, he focused on the theatre and painted for the Apollo theatre in Harlem. Jacob lawrence is best known as the African American painter, teacher, and extreme artist for interpreting african american experience and ideal to all, he wanted people to feel emotion. Later in life he became a teacher, professor, and an art instructor. He was an art professor at The University of Washington. Jacob Lawrence also was the best known 20th century African American Artist. He won numerous awards and has a 1500 dollar scholarship in his name. His most famous artwork pieces include “the builder”, “pool parlor” “the shoemaker” and the “Harriet Tubman Series”. Jacob Lawrence passed away June 9th 2000 at age 82. Jacob to this day is shown in the Hampton University Museum in Virginia, MOMA in NYC, Phillips Collection in Washington D.C, Whitney Museum of American Art and in many more other places. Jacob Lawrence was an Artist, and an intellectual person, his artwork explains the history of African Americans and their experiences in their own history and lives, he included the most important part to a person’s life, he include their strength. Jacob lawrence successfully let us in on the lives of people’s pasts, and gives us insight to an African Americans history and background. Jacob Lawrence lived a very long life, he has seen everything from a art movement to being in the coast guard, all the way to admitting himself into a mental hospital. Jacob was an industrious person, hardworking and diligent.
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