141. The Migration

 

The Migration Series, Panel no. 49 
Jacob Lawrence. 1940-1941 C.E. New York. Casein tempera on hardboard

Broad in scope and dramatic in exposition, this depiction of African-Americans moving North to find jobs, better housing, and freedom from oppression was a subject he associated with his parents, who had themselves migrated from South Carolina to Virginia, and finally, to New York.

Form: 

- Tempera on hardboard 

        - this is a return from the Italian masters 

- flat simple shapes 

- unmodulated colors 

- geometrical forms 

- tilted tabletops to show surface 

- forms hover in large spaces 

An overall color unity in the series unites each painting. Forms hover in large spaces, made of flat simple shapes, unmodulated color and little individuality to each figure keeps the angular forms together as a collective experience. Each panel has rhythmic arrangements of flat, bold and strongly colored shapes. His style drew equally from his interest in the push-pull effect of Cubist space and his memories of the patterns made by the colored scatter rugs brightening the floors of his childhood homes. 

Function: 

- In a series that aims to depict the migration of African Americans from the rural south to the urban north after World War 1 

It was first and foremost meant to convey a strong and unambiguous message about the prevalence of segregation in the aftermath of emancipation, as well as the economic shifts that triggered migration from south to north. For Lawrence, the issue of race, and racial relations, loomed large throughout The Migration Series.

Content: 

- involved a public restaurant in the north that is deeply segregated which is shown through the yellow pole dividing the races 

This is a series of sixty paintings that depict the migrations of African Americans from the rural south to the urban north after WWI. It contains the collective African American experience. They all include explanatory text. With this piece, the caption read,”They also found discrimination in the North although it was much different from that which they had known in the South.” This panel features a blatantly segregated dining room with a barrier running down the room’s center separating the whites on the left from the African Americans on the right. 

Context: 

-In the Harlem Renaissance 

    - this was a period in which African Americans migrated in great numbers to a NYC neighborhood (Harlem) 

    - in the early 20th century (after world war one) 

In the early 20th century African-Americans moved in great numbers to a New York City neighborhood called Harlem. This immigration, and it;s subsequent infusion of talent, created a deep cultural center that reached it’s fullest expression in painting , theater, music, witting and photography. The movement began after WWI around 1919, and reached its peak in the 1920’s and early 30s, but its influence extended well into the 20th century. The movements general themes which extended across the arts, include racial pride, civil rights, and the influence of slavery on modern culture. This painting features a scene involving a public restaurant in the North; where segregation is emphasized with the yellow poles that zigzag through the center of the panel.

Innovation

Lawrence was inspired by the politically oriented art of Goya, Daumier and Orozco and by the many writers of the Harlem renaissance whom he met, including Aaron Douglas. His style employs primitive elements of simplification, stylization, bright coloration, and minimal tonal changes. Despite angular distortions, his forms are easily readable and remain within a storytelling context. Lawrence was among the first black artists to be accepted in the white world. His paintings are thought to represent most consistently the black experience in America.

 

Artistic Decisions

Lawrence uses tempera paint which hearkens back to Italian masters of the 14th and 15th centuries. His plan was to depict the history of the Great African American migration northward in 8 sections. Causes of the Migration, Stimulation of he migration, the Spread of the Migration, The Efforts to Check the Migration, Public Opinion regarding the Migration, The Effects of the Migration on the South, The Effects of the Migration on Various Parts of the North, The Effects of the Migration.

Interpretation

The Migration series was created in the spirit of the West African storyteller, who preserved and passed down knowledge of past events, both legendary and factual. Lawrence envisioned his images as vehicles through which future generations would learn about the men, women, and children whose lives were forever changed during the “Great Migration.” Lawrence’s series with it’s bold compositions and simplified forms, tells a timeless story of struggle and the search for equality that speaks to the shared history of all Americans.