Aaron Douglas

Aaron Douglas (1899-1979)

Harlem Renaissance philosopher Alain Locke called Douglas “the father of black American art.” Douglas attended the University of Nebraska (BFA, 1922). His work celebrated African American heritage and achievement while addressing issues such as slavery and segregation. He incorporated Egyptian and African motifs into a modernist style characterized by flat silhouetted figures and a muted palette. His murals and his illustrations for magazines including The Crisis (NAACP) reached broad audiences. Douglas founded and chaired the Fisk University art department (1937-1966).

Important Source Material:

Earle, Susan ed. Aaron Douglas: African American Modernist. New Haven and Lawrence: Yale University Press in association with Spencer Museum of Art, University of Kansas, 2007.

Kirschke, Amy Helene. Aaron Douglas: Art, Race & The Harlem Renaissance. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1995.

Porter, James A. Modern Negro Art. New York: Dryden Press, 1943, pp. 104-05.

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