The Style of Jacob Lawrence
Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000) was an African-American painter whose social realist style was influenced by the people and places of the Harlem section of New York City, where he lived and worked for most of his life.
Features
Lawrence painted with gouache and tempera, using vivid coloring and at times the surrealistic perspective of Baroque and Renaissance painting.
Identification
Lawrence's early painting realistically portrays life in Harlem, whose street-scenes--pool halls, sidewalks and brothels--informed the narrative of his painting.
Types
As a storyteller, the characteristic feature of Lawrence's early work was his use of multiple panels, each accompanied by a written caption.
History
In 1940, Lawrence painted 60 panels that together chronicle the migration of African-Americans from the South to the North during the years 1916-27.
Considerations
Throughout the 1950s, Lawrence's work remained largely figural and socially realistic, while Europe and emerging American artists turned to abstract-expressionism.
