Art
Aaron Douglas: The Father of African American Art
A leading Harlem Renaissance painter, Aaron Douglas’ artistic interests in modernism and African art fueled his artistic style. His works are a blend of Art Deco and elements of Egyptian wall paintings. He was later dubbed “the father of Black American art.”
By Tamara Shiloh
Aaron Douglas (1899–1979) earned his reputation in the art world for creating compelling graphics.
He became an in-demand illustrator for many writers after arriving in Harlem during a time when works by talented Blacks were being recognized. Among his most famous illustrations were images for James Weldon Johnson’s “God’s Trombone” and Paul Morand’s “Black Magic.”
A leading Harlem Renaissance painter, Douglas’ artistic interests in modernism and African art fueled his artistic style. His works are a blend of Art Deco and elements of Egyptian wall paintings. He was later dubbed “the father of Black American art.”
Born in Topeka, Kansas, young Aaron developed an interest in art early on. His mother had a passion for drawing and watercolors, one she shared with him. This made him want to become a painter.
His father, a baker, emphasized the importance of education. He was instrumental in developing his son’s sense of optimism and self-confidence.
Douglas’ dream was to enroll in a university, but his family had no money. Instead, he decided to travel with a friend. The two landed briefly in Detroit, where Douglas worked at Detroit Cadillac, an automobile factory. About that experience, he later said that he was “the target of racism and discrimination, always given the worst, dirtiest jobs at the plant.”
The harsh treatment pushed him to continue seeking his passion and enroll in art classes at the Detroit Museum of Art. He would later attend the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1922.
Douglas then relocated to Kansas City, Montana, where he taught drawing, painting, stenciling, and batik at Lincoln High School. But, career-wise, his heart wasn’t in it. He wanted New York City, and to become a part of the city’s Harlem community and its thriving art scene.
About his desire to leave Kansas City for Harlem, Douglas said: “I can’t live here. I can’t grow here. [This] is not the way the world is. There are other places where I can try to be what I believe I can be, where I can achieve free from the petty irritations of color restrictions. I’ve got to go, even if I have to sweep floors for a living.”
In 1925, Douglas left for New York City, where he quickly immersed himself in Harlem’s growing arts and culture. “There are so many things that I had seen for the first time, so many impressions I was getting,” he recalled. “One was that of seeing a big city that was entirely Black. From beginning to end you were impressed by the fact that Black people were in charge of things and here was a Black city and here was a situation that was eventually to be the center for the great in American Culture.”
New York City would lend Douglas’ career room to develop and grow, and he would become a prominent member of the Harlem Renaissance.
To learn more about Douglas and other Harlem Renaissance artists: “Harlem Renaissance Artists” by Denise M. Jordan.
