FINA-A 340 Visual Arts of the Harlem Renaissance

Instructor: Phoebe Wolfskill 

Lecture: Tuesday, Thursday 1:00pm-2:15pm

Fall 2012

Course Description:

This course considers visual artistic production during the Harlem or "New Negro" Renaissance, a period in which African-American artists sought radical reconceptualizations of self and community through visual and literary expression. The class will investigate a variety of topics related to Renaissance artistic production, including the ideologies and techniques of racial representation in literature and the visual arts, issues of sexuality and gender, portrayals of biraciality and perceptions of skin color, art criticism and the delimiting of "Negro art" (within and outside of African-American journals), and systems of patronage. We will conclude by considering the continuation of "New Negro" ideologies and aesthetics through World War II.  Require readings consist of a beautifully-illustrated exhibition catalogue addressing the major visual contributors to the Renaissance, an anthology of Renaissance scholarship, poetry, and prose, select scholarly essays.

What is the Main Assignment?

Preliminary Bibliography and Thesis Statement:

In preparation for writing your art and literature paper, compile a bibliography in which you cite at least four scholarly books and articles.  A brief description (2-3 sentences) should accompany each citation.  Also write a thesis statement (1-4 sentences) that explains concisely what you will argue in your paper.  For proper formatting of your bibliography, click on the Cite Sources link below and choose Chicago Manual of Style.  Please turn in a properly formatted hardcopy of this assignment.

Art and Literature Paper:

Students will write a 6-8 paged paper (double-spaced, 1" margins, 12 pt. font), bringing together the work of a particular artist whose interests overlap with literature from the same period. For example, a student might choose to discuss a work or works by Aaron Douglas together with a poem or short story by Langston Hughes. This is not a claim that the painting has a literary equivalent and vice versa; instead, the idea is to explore through art and text similar issues raised by African-American artists and writers. The goal of this assignment is to carefully scrutinize both media, discussing their formal attributes (artistic style, writing style) and the socio-political and/or personal meanings behind their creation. Does the visual artifact convey something that the prose cannot? Does the literary piece convey something the artwork cannot? What features do they share? What historical, cultural, and/or personal circumstances prompted these artists and writers to create their works? Research will aid the student in discovering the motivations and broader implications of the works, but the student's analytical abilities will generate the argument of the paper.  Submit your paper as an attachment to Oncourse under "Assignments 2."  All submissions will be evaluated for originality through Turn it in.

Visual Arts of the Harlem Renaissance Resources

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