Link to Powerpoint: ARS281_PechaKucha
African-American Photography
From the Harlem Renaissance to the Civil Rights Movement, African-American photographers were enabled to capture the history and development of the Black-American voice. The objective of this collection of research is to enlighten the mind of the student who may not be familiar with the work of these photographers, as well as inspire young contemporaries interested in themes of Civil Rights photography (See left image, Gordon Parks’ Ondria Tanner and Her Grandmother Window-Shopping Mobile, Alabama, 1956).
The selected artists were concerned with the civil rights movement, and lives of African-Americans during the time of the Harlem Renaissance and the Civil Rights era. Gordon Parks’ work is slightly different from Roy DeCarava in that Parks images were more obvious about the topic of segregation. DeCavara has more cinematic looking pieces, more focused on individuals rather than a movement. James Van Der Zee’s work contrasts with both Parks and DeCarvara due to its dreamy portrait like aesthetic, the subject being more aware of their picture being taken.
Both images evoke different feelings. Woman on the Train is more eerie than the arranged portrait of Man with Bowtie. This is not only due to the 3 decade time gap, but because of the intent of the artists. The selected work in the presentation reflects the soul of the three photographers. This is evident is the framing, placement of subjects and lighting of each composition. The lack of lighting in one photographer’s work denotes the obstruction of forms; and the other with lighting to communicate the prominence and emphasis of the subject in the composition.
Resources
Roy DeCarava
http://www.mocp.org/detail.php?t=objects&type=browse&f=maker&s=DeCarava%2C+Roy&record=0
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Roy-DeCarava
Gordon Parks
https://www.biography.com/people/gordon-parks-37379
James Van Der Zee
https://americanart.si.edu/artist/james-vanderzee-6593
https://www.biography.com/people/james-van-der-zee-9515411
Images: http://www.gordonparksfoundation.org/archive/segregation-story-1956?view=slider#3
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/58/3c/73/583c732925827695aa92b739bffea84a.jpg
http://www.howardgreenberg.com/artists/james-van-der-zee?view=slider#5
Harlem Renaissance
https://www.britannica.com/event/Harlem-Renaissance-American-literature-and-art
Harlem on My Mind Controversy: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/20/arts/design/what-i-learned-from-a-disgraced-art-show-on-harlem.html
https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-how-african-american-artists-fought-diversify-museums