17-A Jacob Lawrence, The Migration of the Negro Panel no. 57, 1940–1941

Harlem renaissance – 1920’s-30s – African American writers, musicians and artists celebrated their heritage and culture and redefined artistic forms of expression. Mainly explored three areas: the rich heritage of Africa, the ugly legacy of slavery, the realities of urban life. No unified visual style; ended with stock market crash.
 

17-A  Jacob Lawrence, The Migration of the Negro Panel no. 57, 1940–1941
Study this painting, paying attention to all the parts of the composition.
What is this woman is doing? She is stirring laundry with a washing stick.
What shapes do you see in this painting? There are rectangles and irregular rounded shapes.
What do the large rectangles and the irregular rounded shapes represent? The large rectangles are laundry drying, and the irregular forms are laundry being washed.
Lawrence painted all the panels for The Migration Series at the same time, one color at a time. How did this affect the way the series looks? Because the same colors are on each panel, the panels seem unified.
Who was migrating in The Migration Series? Where were they going? African Americans were moving from the South to the North.
Why were they leaving the South? They were seeking a better life with higher-paying jobs.
What type of jobs had African Americans traditionally done in the South? They were farm laborers and domestic workers, although some were professionals, such as doctors and teachers.
What type of jobs were many migrants hoping to find in the North? Many were seeking factory jobs.
How did Lawrence learn about scenes from the migration? He listened to his family and friends’ stories, and he researched historical events from this time period in the   Harlem branch of the New York Public Library.
What was significant about Lawrence being asked to exhibit his art in a downtown gallery? 

Previously, African American artists had been excluded from downtown galleries.

Go here to see the odd numbered images of the migration series