Contrasting the European and the Harlem Renaissance

Probably the most popular Renaissance is that which took place in Europe in 1400 A.D. or C.E. as is now called. But equally as important, perhaps even more importantly was a movement that took place on the other side of the Atlantic called the Harlem Renaissance. Both events played significant roles on our modern lives. For both it was the “golden age” as well as a time of much needed and much welcomed “rebirth”. It was a signal to the world that change was already underway. For Europe it would pull the world out of the darkness of the medieval period and later for the United States, it would thrust the oppressed and maltreated into a position of greatness and equality and give an entire people hope.

The European Renaissance came as a beacon of light that began in Greece but was perfected and assumed its own identity in Florence. However, it seemed to grow “legs” when popes began commissioning new artists to Rome. This is the period called the “High Renaissance” because of its spread to other countries and its advancement into what is now deemed its “most creative stage”. The effects of this advancement went far beyond Italy into Asia, Africa and America.

Culturally, artistically, and socially the European and the Harlem proved to be invaluable to society. Both created a platform for new discovery and greater expression. In Europe it gave stages to artists like , Leonardo da Vinci, and to create paintings that still create buzz and inspire awe throughout the world today. Deemed the three greatest painters of the European Renaissance they created incredible works of art.

Raphael, generally regarded as the lesser of the three, made significant contributions to this period with paintings such as “The ” where he created power with softness. His other notable pieces include the “”, “Wedding of the Virgin” and “Saint George and the Dragon”. He is hailed for his style of capturing humanity with detail and clarity. This can be seen well in his painting of human skin. Through it he is able to convey harmony and naturalism. Though he lived only a short life, a large body of his works remains housed today at the Vatican.

Da Vinci’s most notable works include the “Mona Lisa”, “The Vitruvian Man” and my favorite “The Last Supper”. However, Da Vinci’s contributions to the Renaissance weren’t just through his paintings. He was a real “Renaissance man” giving rise to the term. He was a painter, sculptor, architect, musician, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer. And each of these hats, he wore well. He is said to have conceptualized a helicopter, a tank, concentrated solar power, the calculator, and the theory of plate technics which has gained wide-spread acceptance today and has even become an area of study. And, his research in anatomy was done with another well-known artist from that period, Andreas Vesalius.

And probably my favorite artist of the European Renaissance, Michelangelo Buonarroti. Like Picasso, Michelangelo was born during the Renaissance which I think made it impossible for

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either of them to avoid being a part of this wave of renewal. Some of his incredible work includes the highly regarded “David”, a marble sculpture that upon my first sight of it as a child made me feel uncomfortable because it was nude. I’ve seen David fighting a lion and a bear, I’ve even seen David posing over Goliath’s dead body but I’ve never seen David like that. “David” was a favorite statue in Florence. It was originally commissioned as one of a series of statues of prophets to be affixed to the Florence Cathedral roof, but it was put in the Palazzo della Signoria public square. Although it was and still is regarded as an incredible piece of work, I didn’t understand why it had to be nude. But, it was indicative of the time. Free thinking, a move forward, and a new and emotional way of expression- I get it!

Other great works by Michelangelo include the “Pietà” and the two pieces that I love the most the “The Creation of Adam” which is a part of the “”. Although, it is a single large piece, I call it two pieces because “The Creation of Adam” is often seen by itself. But the whole work is absolutely incredible. Probably the most beautiful painting I’ve ever seen. It’s just stunning. I find it hard to take my eyes off of it. There is so much to see, so much to take in. And as many times as I’ve seen this piece, I still haven’t grasped it all. That is fascinating to me. This work is incredibly done. It is a treasure trove of artistic beauty. And despite, my taste for historical accuracy, there is much to be said about a piece of art that drives your emotions, and draws you into itself by the sheer magnitude of it.

Like Picasso, Michelangelo was a real “Renaissance Man” being a painter, sculptor, architect, poet and engineer. I believe being born into it provided artists like Picasso and Michelangelo an opportunity, a sort of a birthright, to go to the next level. This was not something they learned or fell into that became their life’s passion, this way of expression were their lives. This made their work so honest and allowed them to be so many other things besides just painters. The atmosphere was creative, blossoming and explorative. They didn’t have a choice in what they would ultimately express or how they would express it.

1919, North America- Harlem, New York became the sanctuary and hub of a similar and perhaps more important movement that shaped culture and country. Soon after the Civil War, former slaves and their families left the persistent slavery-minded south and began a move north. Settling in many cities along the way, the population in a tiny enclave began to blossom in incredible ways- culturally, artistically, politically, and socially.

What the European Renaissance did for Europe the Harlem Renaissance did the same for the people of Harlem and the US. It gave stages to poets, writers, painters, sculptors, activists, musicians and far more. It was a time when “Harlem was in vogue” as the great Langston Hughes wrote, but we’ll come back to him in a moment. Though Harlem was in vogue, its new found awakening was being attacked by individuals that had issue with its contributors and not the contributions themselves. The Harlem Renaissance took place during a time in American history when “African Americans” were still considered objects instead of people despite slavery previously being abolished. There were some in great number who felt that “African Americans” should be continually oppressed and separated from “whites” for many different reasons. Some of which were that “African Americans” were somehow inferior to whites and needed to be controlled and owned by “whites” because of it. While some other views, like the

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one later expressed by racist elitist and Leninist J. Edgar Hoover (Director of the FBI) that “African Americans” were agents of change, and that because they had been treated so badly by “whites” could not be trusted by “whites”, and that their unification would undoubtedly lead to revolution and the overthrow of “white” government. In fact, in 1919, the same year that the Harlem Renaissance began, Hoover targeted and jailed the founder of the United Negro Improvement Association, Marcus Garvey, with trumped up charges in order to destroy the association and to divide and intimidate its four million members. Despite problems like these the movement continued.

The Harlem Renaissance created a stage for art and growth of all sorts. It “gave the artists an identifiable artistic context for their work, propelled them to the forefront on the New Negro Movement, and inspired their art for the remainder of their careers” notes the book “Harlem Renaissance, Art of Black America”. And nothing can be truer. This was a time of change in America that was much needed. It provided an opportunity for the works of W.E.B. Du Bois, Alain Locke, Langston Hughes, Aaron Douglas, Met Vaux Warrick Fuller, Jacob Lawrence and so many others’ work to be shown on a national stage. For most, it was the first opportunity at equality that they themselves or their ancestors had ever experienced in this country. In this respect and because of all that was at stake, the Harlem Renaissance was the more important of the two renaissances.

Painters like Aaron Douglas, William Henry Johnson and Jacob Lawrence stood out among painters of the time. They were highly educated and possessed an eye for spectacular expression.

Aaron Douglas, armed with a Master’s Degree from Columbia University and a rich vocabulary of African American myth and culture, created some of the most popular paintings from the period. “Negro Life” is probably his most famous work. It was created using four panels that told the story of the “African American” experience. The first, shows dance, music and sculpture; the second and third, shows slavery, emancipation and the move north; and the third, shows music and a return to former glory of artistic expression. Some of his other work includes “Alta” and many murals. Douglas was an integral part of the Harlem Renaissance and was considered its leading painter and the “Father of African American arts”.

William Henry Johnson was also an educated part of the Harlem experience. Armed with training from the National Academy of Design in New York he created French-inspired works that represented and expressed his training and identity.

Jacob Lawrence, armed with an education from the Harlem Art Workshop and the American Artists School, created notable artwork that has stood long after his death. Later, like Aaron Douglas, he created a work on panels, but his was done on six instead of four. He called them the “Migration of the Negro” depicting the migration of thousands of “African Americans” from the south to the north and their struggles to adjust to the northern attitudes and way of life. The “Migration of the Negro” become one Lawrence’s most famous works and earned him his first solo exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art. Lawrence made significant contributions to the Renaissance, creating works that resonated with both “African” and “white” Americans.

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Music, dance, theater and dress also changed during this time. “Zoot Suits” became commonplace among young Harlem men. Long jackets with high waisted baggy pants and a matching hat with a feather was an expression of individual style. Therefore, everyone, even individuals simply walking down the streets became billboards for the new movement of artistic expression. With it raised a new form of dance called jazz dance. Jazz Dance is a spin-off of the free movement of modern dance. Also, this period saw the rise of choreographers who drew more on their own culture, not just to fit into the status quo. But this was fed by new moves in the jazz genre by the development of Blues, Bebop and Swing.

Blues became a technique and later a musical genre of telling stores. One of the most popular songs of this era is “St. Louis Blues” telling a personal but easily identifiable story that likely had never been told before. Bebop is a style of jazz that appealed to a wide range of listeners. Charlie Parker and Dizzie Gillespie are considered its developers. And swing is a fun “big band” style of music that became one of the best music styles for dance. With fast, fun, and intoxicating rhythms, beats and movements it invited listeners to the dance floors and promoted free expression. It even spawned a “Swing Era” which ran beyond the years of the Harlem Renaissance. William “Count” Basie, Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Cabell “Cab” Calloway III (though mostly categorized as Jazz) are the best known “swingers” of the time. And in theater, the movement sowed seeds that would later blossom into “black consciousness” and other pro-“black” expressions. And this, within itself, led to religious change, but unfortunately and not necessarily for the better.

I mentioned before, the Harlem Renaissance was not just about the expressions of painters, musicians and dance but many types of work. One type and probably the most notable part of the Harlem Renaissance period are the writings by Langston Hughes and the intellectual work of W.E.B. Du Bois.

Langston Hughes, is often called the “post laureate of Harlem”. Through his thought-provoking writings, he portrays the life of ordinary “African Americans”. Using humor, irony and every other tool at his disposal he created and promoted pride in his heritage and awareness of the plight of his culture. His work appealed to a wide range of readers, likely due to his honesty, humanity and humility.

And finally the intellect of William Edward Burghardt “W.E.B.” Du Bois, and others like him was a needed resource for the Harlem Renaissance. He was a sociologist, historian, civil rights activist, author and editor who was very focused and outspoken. He believed that “African Americans” needed chances for advanced education in order to create more leaders. He spoke out against racism and protested Jim Crow, lynching and other discriminatory practices. While the majority of Harlem was celebrating in bright suits, dancing, painting, drawing, acting, sculpting, playing, and writing , W.E.B. Du Bois was drawing a seriousness look at the problems still plaguing the so-called free “African American”. Du Bois wrote essays, and the most notable are “The Souls of Black Folk” and “Black Reconstruction in America”. He also wrote papers on sociology, and became an editor for the NAACP. Du Bois campaigned for Civil Rights and used his education and reputation to help all “African Americans”.

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In conclusion, the European and Harlem Renaissances share the same basic premise, rebirth. Both became a catalyst for free expression in the areas of art through paintings, poetry, literature, music and sculpture. In it paintings took on new and unusual forms, poetry assumed a new flow and means of interpretation, literature told new tales, music took on new sound, and sculptures depicted more accurate and candid body forms. But what the European Renaissance lacked the Harlem Renaissance embodied and expounded upon. Making advances in politics, dress, dance, musical form, and attitude, the Harlem Renaissance did more than just provide visual and audial contributions to society. The Harlem Renaissance provided a voice to those whose voices had been stifled, smothered and ignored for hundreds of years. It allowed, for the first time in history, the “African American” the opportunity to speak anyway they wanted and be taken seriously. It was the dawning of a new era. It was the chance to begin healing from slavery. It was the opportunity to be seen for the value that its people had contributed to the US culture and economy from the beginning. For once, out of the shadows and onto the stage. In the forefront and not hidden behind degrading signs and actions that furthered a depressive mentality. It was something that was all theirs. It was something to be proud of. It was a moment to be heard.

LH