The Art Movements

In the 20th century three main art movements transpired from the black population: The Harlem Renaissance, The WPA Artists and Be Bop Musicians and The Black Arts Movement.

The 1920s: The Harlem Renaissance

Developed in New York City during a post-war period when the U.S. economy was elevated. The idea of the “New Negro” came about during this time. “New Negro” was intended to symbolize movement from the south to the north and how the freed slaves felt with their new approaches to life. Several Organizations such as the NAACP, the Urban League and the Garvey movement were also forming around this time.

This was the first cultural movement ever made by the blacks. It was difficult for them to be taken seriously since they had always been considered culturally inferior to the whites. Companies began buying their products, producing them and created a selling market for their culturally different art. Some young black artists would be invited to social gatherings “downtown” where they would meet wealthy investors that began to sponsor them.

The 1930s and 1940s: The WPA artists and Be Bop musicians

The Great Depression left many working people without jobs, food or shelter. This was the case for Black people as well, only they often suffered worse because they were always the last to he hired and the first to be fired. Black artists were also affected the Great Depression since their prosperity depended upon people buying their work and supporting them. If no one was there to buy their work then there was no money there for them to have. This domino effect hurt the social organization of the artist who were brought up in the Harlem Renaissance. Luckily, Franklin D. Roosevelt came to the artist aide and gave Black artist in all parts of the county Workers Progress Administration (WPA) jobs. Artists began working together in collective groups. They were employed by the government. The focus of art in this era changed as compared to the Harlem Renaissance. Artists focused more on the Black population as a whole rather than their individual selves. This was influenced by the WPA jobs which made the black artist work in their collective groups as opposed to their previous segregated art.

During this era, the Be Bop experience was also created. The Be Bop experience was a cultural revolt in which “hipsters” revolted by wearing beards, dark glasses, berets, used confidential speech, had a militant attitude towards politics and shared a love for art. This revolt was contained to closed circles of people who were bitter about their unfair lifestyle.

The 1960s: The Black Arts Movement

After the Civil Rights Movement failed because of assassination, imprisonment and racist ideological attacks, a group of young, middle-class youths formed a new movement against America. “Black Power” became their message. They desired to be accepted into the mainstream world: To unify into one world without racism. However, what they did not account for was how impossible a revolutionary change like this would be without total accordance with the capitalist economic and political system.

References

External links

* [http://eblackstudies.org/intro/chapter9.htm Intro to Afro-Am Chpt 9]