Captioned Black Art
Your Curated Art Museum
“Come for the art, stay for the quotes” . . .
“And that’s all we are, Jefferson, all of us on this earth, a piece of drifting wood, until we—each one of us, individually—decide to become something else.”
— Ernest J. Gaines
A Snippet:
Did you know that Ernest James Gaines after enjoying an immensely successful writing career, gaining all the approvals, accomplishments, accolades, etc. that one can dream of during a lifetime, chose to return to his birthplace, Oscar, Louisiana, during his golden years, where he and his wife built a home on the plantation where he grew up?
Learn more . . .
82. “Factory Workers” (1942)
“I think all artists are self-taught. Because even if you go to art school, after you get out you still have to learn.”
— Romare Bearden
Did you know?
Did you know that Romare Bearden produced, “Factory Workers” for the June 1942 Fortune magazine article entitled, “The Negro’s War,” which examined the social and financial costs of racial discrimination in the American workplace during World War II?
Recognized as one of the most creative and original visual artists of the twentieth century, Romare Bearden had a prolific and distinguished career. As an artist, he was self-taught, having went to medical school before dropping out to pursue art full-time.
Bearden experimented with many different mediums and artistic styles, but is best known for his richly-textured collages.
His life and art are marked by exceptional talent, encompassing a broad range of intellectual and scholarly interests, including music, performing arts, history, literature, and world art.
Fun fact: Bearden also designed costumes and sets for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and program designs for Nanette Bearden’s Contemporary Dance Theatre.
83. “New Orleans” (2002)
“It wasn’t necessary for me to have acclaim. I just knew that I wanted to do it, so I did it—whenever I could.”
— Gwendolyn Knight
Did you know?
Did you know that Gwendolyn Knight, as part of the Works Progress Administration, assisted Charles Alston with a mural for the children’s ward at Harlem Hospital in the mid-1930s? (In fact, it was in Alston’s studio that Knight met fellow artist Jacob Lawrence, whom she later married in 1941.)
Born in Bridgetown, Barbados, Knight was seven years old when she moved with family friends to St. Louis, Missouri, following the unexpected death of her father.
An avid reader and dance, theatre, and opera enthusiast, Knight immersed herself in the Harlem Renaissance during her teenage years.
She briefly attended Howard University in Washington, DC, where she studied with Loïs Mailou Jones and James Lesesne Wells.
Financial hardship brought on by the Great Depression compelled Knight to leave college after her second year and return to Harlem. In Harlem, she studied painting and sculpture with Augusta Savage and—thanks to Savage’s recommendation—joined the Works Progress Administration’s mural project, and was introduced to writers and activists of the Harlem Renaissance, including Romare Bearden, Aaron Douglas, Charles Alston, and Alain Locke.
84. (Untitled)
“Usually, I am one of two black designers in a company and almost always the only black female designer. I wouldn’t call this an accomplishment, but I am very proud of the way I handle whiteness in the workspace. At times it can be discouraging, but I’ve never lost sight of my goal.”
— Shanée Benjamin
Did you know?
Did you know that Brooklyn-based artist, Shanée Benjamin, mixes traditional art with digital through a non-linear creative process and love for her community by exploring and celebrating the beauty of BIPOC folks?
Shanée enjoys watching the evolution of her artwork, “Moving away from classic romanticism via a color palette and bold facial details to highlight LGBTQIA intersectionality.”
Shout out to Jerid P . Woods (now Dr. Woods)! Congrats, fam.
(Breathe In . . . Breathe Out)
Never lose sight of your goal
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