Aaron Douglas (artist)

Aaron Douglas
Portrait by Betsy Graves Reyneau
Born(1899-05-26)May 26, 1899
Topeka, Kansas, United States
DiedFebruary 2, 1979(1979-02-02) (aged 79)
Nashville, Tennessee, United States
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUniversity of Nebraska;
Columbia University Teacher’s College
Known forPainting, Illustration, Murals
StyleJazz Age, Modernism, Art Deco
MovementHarlem Renaissance

Aaron Douglas (May 26, 1899 – February 2, 1979[1]) was an American painter, illustrator, and visual arts educator. He was a major figure in the Harlem Renaissance.[2] He developed his art career painting murals and creating illustrations that addressed social issues around race and segregation in the United States by utilizing African-centric imagery.[3] Douglas set the stage for young, African-American artists to enter the public-arts realm through his involvement with the Harlem Artists Guild.[4] In 1944, he concluded his art career by founding the Art Department at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. He taught visual art classes at Fisk University until his retirement in 1966.[5] Douglas is known as a prominent leader in modern African-American art whose work influenced artists for years to come.[6]

  1. ^ "Aaron Douglas: African American Modernist". Spencer Museum of Art. Archived from the original on June 22, 2020. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
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  6. ^ Kirschke, Amy Helene (1995). Aaron Douglas: Art, Race, and the Harlem Renaissance. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 0878057757. OCLC 781087713.