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BLACK PAINTERS from1840tothepresent

JacobLawrence.Inthelate1930s,JacobLawrencebegantopaintnarrativeseriesofkeymomentsinBlackhistory,usingsimplifiedfigurespaintedonhardboardpanels.Themostfamousofthese,thestunning60‐paintingMigrationoftheNegroseries,depictstheBlackexperienceintheGreatMigrationofthe1920s‐30s.Completedin1941whenhewasjust23,theMigrationSeriesmadeLawrencethemostfamousBlackpainterintheUS.OtherearlyseriesbyJacobLawrencefeaturethelivesofToussaintL’Ouverture,FrederickDouglass,HarrietTubman,andJohnBrown.HislaterworksincludeaseriesonAesop’sFablesandseveralBuildersseries.In1970,LawrencebecamethefirstpaintertowintheNAACP’sSpingarnMedal.Readmore:http://www.pinterest.com/pin/27866091415033159/

HenryOssawaTanner.Theartistof1893’sTheBanjoLesson,TannerwasoneofthefirstBlackartiststobecomeinternationallyfamous.HestudiedunderThomasEakinsinPhiladelphia,buthemovedtoParisin1891togetawayfromracism.TannerwasamongthefirstartiststodepictBlackpeopleascomplexfiguresandnotracialcaricatures,inrealistworkslikeTheBanjoLessonandTheThankfulPoor.AfterpaintingDanielintheLion’sDenin1895,Tannerexploredreligiousthemesinavarietyofartisticstylesinhisremainingwork.In1996,Tanner’sSandDunesatSunset,AtlanticCitybecamethefirstpaintingbyanAfricanAmericanintheWhiteHousepermanentcollection.Readmore:http://www.pinterest.com/pin/27866091414985122/

RomareBearden.BeardenwasoneofthegreatestAmericanmastersofcollage.BorninCharlottein1911andraisedinNewYorkCity,BeardenjoinedtheHarlemArtistsGuildin1935andbecameaprolificpainter.HewasintheArmyfrom1942‐45,wasaSocialServicescaseworkerfromthe1930s‐1960s,andstudiedphilosophyattheSorbonneinthe1950s.ThiswidearrayofexperienceinfluencedBearden’sart,whichblendedmodernartstyleslikecubismandDadawithAmericanculturaltraditions.Hismanynotableworksinclude1941’sTheCottonPickers,1974’sEmpressoftheBlues,andthe1977BlackOdysseyseries.Beardenwasalsoasupporteroftheartcommunity:hewasthefirstartsdirectoroftheHarlemCulturalCouncil,co‐foundedtheSpiralartgroup,designedcostumesfortheAlvinAileyAmericanDanceTheater,andwrotesuchbooksas1972’sSixBlackMastersofAmericanArt.Readmore:http://www.pinterest.com/pin/27866091415029459/

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Jean‐MichelBasquiat.Thoughheonlylivedtoage27,BasquiatwaspartoftheNewYorkartsceneforadecade.BorninBrooklynin1960,BasquiatcreatedgraffitiartasateenagerunderthetagSAMO,andheproducedt‐shirts,collages,anddrawingsaswell.Atage20,hispaintingsoncanvasbecameextremelypopularingalleries,andhehadhisfirstsoloshowat21.BasquiatcollaboratedwithAndyWarholonanumberofworksinthemid‐1980s.Basquiat’spaintingsfeatureawildmixofimageryandsymbolismfromvariouscultures,rangingfromGreekandAztectoAfro‐Caribbean,oftenwithtextanddiagramsscrawledonthecanvas.Readmore:http://www.pinterest.com/pin/27866091420784688/

LoisMailouJones.AlongtimeprofessorofdesignandwatercolorpaintingatHowardUniversity,Jonespaintedinawidevarietyofstylesfromthe1920s‐1990s.BorninBoston,JonesoftenpaintedinFrancetobefreefromracism.SomeinfluencesonherartincludeFrenchimpressionism,Haitianart,andespeciallyAfricanart,andshetraveledextensivelyinAfricaandtheCaribbeantoresearchlocalartandtochampionBlackartists.Amonghermanynotablepaintingsare1932’sAscentofEthiopia,1938’sLesFetiches,1954’sPeasantGirl,Haiti,and1972’sOdetoKinshasaandUbiGirlfromTaiRegion.Jonesalsoproducedcollaborativeworkslikeher30illustrationsforCarterG.Woodson’sbookAfricanHeroesandHeroines.Readmore:http://www.pinterest.com/pin/27866091420784697/

HaleWoodruff.Bestknowntodayforhisvibrantmurals,HaleWoodruffalsoplayedaninvaluableroleinthedevelopmentofartatHBCUs.In1931,WoodrufffoundedtheartdepartmentatAtlantaUniversity,nowClarkAtlanta,andheheldartclassesatSpelmanandMorehouse.In1938,TalladegaCollegecommissionedWoodrufftopaintaseriesofmuralscelebratingthe100thanniversaryofthesuccessfulslaveuprisingaboardtheAmistad.Theresultingpaintingsofthemutiny,trial,andrepatriationofAmistadslavesareamongthegreatmuralsinAmericanart.Woodruff’sotherworksincludetheArtoftheNegromuralseriesatClarkAtlantaandtheabstractCelestialGateseriesinthe1950s.Readmore:http://www.pinterest.com/pin/27866091420449931/

KaraWalker.Walkerisbestknownforblackcut‐papersilhouettesthatdepictslaveryinanarrativetableau.Oftenthesetableauxarelarge:the1997workSlavery!Slavery!isa360‐degreemuralthatencirclestheviewer.SomeofWalker’sworksfeaturecolorfullypaintedorprojectedbackdrops,asinthe2001workTrilogy.AprofessoratColumbia,WalkerwonaMacArthurFoundation“genius”grantin1997,whenshewasonly27.KaraWalker’smorerecentworksincludea2014installationatanabandonedNewYorksugarfactory,featuringamassiveSphinx‐likesugarsculptureentitledASubtlety.Readmore:http://www.pinterest.com/pin/27866091420784889/

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RobertS.Duncanson.In1861,theCincinnatiDailyGazettecalledDuncanson“thebestlandscapepainterintheWest.”InfluencedbytheHudsonRiverSchoolpainters,DuncansonbeganpaintinglandscapesoftheOhioRivervalleyinthe1840s,andhelaterpaintedlandscapesofNewEngland,Canada,andEuropeaswell.Duncansonblendedlandscapewithliteratureinworkslike1853’sUncleTomandLittleEva,basedonthenovelUncleTom’sCabin,and1861’sLandoftheLotusEaters,basedonaTennysonpoem.DuncansonalsodidportraitsofsuchnotedabolitionistsasJamesBirney,FreemanCary,andRev.RichardRust,thefirstpresidentofWilberforceUniversity.Readmore:http://www.pinterest.com/pin/27866091420784822/

AlmaThomas.AlmaWoodseyThomasisbestknownforcolorfulabstractpaintings,nearlyallofwhichwerepaintedaftersheturned70!HowardUniversity’sfirstfineartsgraduatein1924,ThomastaughtartataDCjuniorhighschoolfor35years,thenembracedanewpaintingstyleafterretiring.DrawinginspirationfromWashingtonColorSchoolpaintersandfromherowngarden,sheusedthousandsofirregulardaubsofcolor,liketilesinamosaic,inpaintingssuchasBreezeRustlingThroughFallFlowersandSpringtimeinWashington.In1972,atage80,AlmaThomasbecamethefirstBlackfemaleartisttohaveasoloexhibitatNewYork’sWhitneyMuseumofAmericanArt,andin2009,twoofherpaintingswerechosenfordisplayintheWhiteHouse.Readmore:http://www.pinterest.com/pin/27866091420784839/

FaithRinggold.FaithRinggoldisamasterofmixedmediaart,blendingpaintingwithotherartformssuchassculptureandquilting.Her1960sworks,likeTheFlagisBleeding,oftenfeaturestrongpoliticalmessagesaboutracismandwomen’srights,andinthe1970sshebeganusingmasks,softsculptures,andTibet‐inspiredclothframes.Ringgold’sfirststoryquiltappearedin1983:Who’sAfraidofAuntJemima?features56panelsofpaintedhumanfigures,quiltedfabric,andhandwrittentext.IttellsataleofJemimaasasuccessfulbusinesswoman,removingallcontextorsymbolismofservitude.FaithRinggoldhasalsowrittenmanychildren’sbooks,including1991’sTarBeachbasedononeofherstoryquilts.Readmore:http://www.pinterest.com/pin/27866091420784796/

 The Honda Campus All‐Star Challenge 10 TO KNOW series is designed to promote active learning on topics that are interesting to and important for students who compete in HCASC to know.  Not every person, event, discovery, or fact in the series will be used in game questions in any given season; however, over the span of a few years, all will be featured.