Negro Art Essay

898 Words2 Pages

In the early twentieth century, it was nationally debated as to whether or not Negro art was a category of art in the United States. Even for some today, it remains a debate. George Schuyler, Langston Hughes, and W.E.B. DuBois, all had strong arguments for the concept of “Negro Art” in the mid-1920s. After reading the essays of each writer, each one offers a different perspective. Their arguments help to build off one another and to counter argue with one another. Negro Art is very much alive in America; and it deserves to be respected as American Art without leading to the stereotypical absolute difference between the white and black races. The art piece I selected is a fist painted by an Upper School Art 1 student at McDonogh School, that …show more content…

Schuyler stated in his article “The Negro Art Hokum,” that “Negro art ‘made in America’ is as non-existent as the widely advertised profundity of Cal Coolidge, the ‘seven years of progress’ of Mayor Hylan, or the reported sophistication of New Yorkers.’ He worries that essentialism stems from racial differences, which is unacceptable in American society. Schuyler does give some exceptions to this claim- music and dance; but as far as literature, painting, and sculpturing go, the white and black races are the same. However, while Schuyler argues that the white and black races are the same in terms of race, W.E.B. DuBois counters that by saying until “art of the black folk” is recognized by other races and in American society, they won’t be equal. “They will not be rated as human” he …show more content…

Though DuBois argues that art shouldn’t be used as propaganda or for political reasons, that it should be used for art’s sake alone, this particular painting of a fist, and all forms of Negro art, represent the black community in many ways. On the other side, white people would like to see the degraded version of Negro Art, they don’t want to see certain topics in the art, they need to “stay inside the box.” But African Americans have the right to represent themselves and still be accepted; they’re free people. This specific art piece I have selected, is by no means sexual or derogatory, however, a critic of Negro art may see the fist as rebellious or a symbol of violence. The fist could also be considered, in Schuyler’s view,

Open Document