Alain Locke The New Negro Summary

Mahfuz Nasiri
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AAAD 330
John Bowles
Negro Modernism through Art Despite the advancement of America in ways that were extraordinary, Negros were still being treated harshly and considered the inferior race. However, during this period of constant discrimination through stereotypical accusations, undermining, and prejudice, the New Negro arose and revolutionized society as a whole. Through reading the works of prominent social activists Langston Hughes and Alain Locke; it can be understood that the concept of the New Negro was a promising aspect during the Harlem Renaissance. The “New Negro”, coined by Alain Locke, is described as being a modernist – an independent and self-guided individual who would go against longstanding white supremacy and prove his equality and noncompliance to unreasonable white assumptions and demands. Langston Hughes and Alain Locke both pushed for the acknowledgement of the American Negro’s part in society as the emanating New Negro sought social compensation for the misjudgment and inequality they faced. The impression Langston Hughes and Alain Locke made, and the message they brought through their works, can be appreciated through Aaron Douglas’s “Building More Stately
Mansions” where Douglas shows the journey of the Negro, Hale Woodruff’s “African Headdress” where Woodruff touches past African culture, and James Wells “Mask Compilation” where Wells shows how the New Negro embraces his true color. The idea of the New Negro was initially brought up by Alain Locke as an innovative persona in society who is concealed by the burden of the stereotypical Old Negro.
Locke argues that the New Negro brought forth a significant mission: to reinstate the black race’s prestige and esteem. Alain Locke describes this regeneration as ‘Negro Zionism’. It cannot be discounted that the Old Negro has contributed vastly to American society through art, music, and other ways that shaped America into being what it is today. Being the balance of society, the Old Negro contributed in ways such as labor and spirituality. Locke argues that it is with this sudden contribution that the New Negro is able to be the beneficiary of the significant efforts by the Old
Negro. Perhaps most powerful of all was the notion that the Negro’s contributions to the future were to be more significant by aiding to create a new American culture, rather than being a beneficiary to the Old Negro. Locke’s final, yet perhaps his most important argument that he mentioned, is the importance of American Negros and their reconnection with Africa. Locke argues this because he assumed that this would create a noticeable group effort that would increase the prestige of blacks throughout America (Locke). Much like Alain Locke, Langston Hughes discusses the significance of black culture. However, unlike Locke, Hughes was more astound to talk about Negro art and the struggle of Negro artists rather than the entire Negro race. In “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain”, Langston Hughes exposes the reality of Negros and their interpretations of their own race. The mountain Hughes refers to in the title of his work is the black artist’s effort towards becoming white. Hughes claimed the issue with the modern black society was that the black race was leaving their Negro culture behind and letting, American culture grasp them. Hughes argues his viewpoint by comparing the middle and upper class Negro’s to the blacks from the “mountain” that the Negro artist faces. He accuses the middle and upper class for letting go of their cultural roots and wanting to be part of white America. The example that he gives in his work was a young middle classed black child who aspires to become a poet. The issue is that this young boy wants to be a normal poet, rather than a black poet. Hughes uses this example to represent the betrayal of race by criticizing the boy for wanting to be white. The issue with the middle and upper class is that any artist that emerges from either has been raised with the whispering belief that being white is the best. Hughes indicates this when he specifies the saying, “Be as little negro and as much American as Possible.” (Hughes 91). As a result of being raised with the whispering notion that being white is the best, artists from these two classes attempt to be as white as possible, failing to apprehend the very culture of their own race. After criticizing the middle and upper class, Hughes introduces another Negro class which fills the majority of the Negro race. With praise Hughes introduces the lower class – a group of people wo didn’t attempt to become anyone but themselves. These people were the saviors of the future being that they did not care about what people said about them. Hughes presents this when he says, “These were the people who were not too important to themselves or others, who were not well fed, or not to learned to watch the lazy world go round.” (Hughes 92). They are described as spiritual and full of the very culture that they brought with them from overseas. It was from this group of people, that Langston Hughes thought would produce the New Negro artist. Unfortunately, while this artist will create great artworks because of his culture and roots, he will find no support amongst his race. He will not be supported by anyone unless he is recognized by the white community. Another thing Langston Hughes was very passionate about was the use of color to represent race. He urges artists not to be afraid to depict black figures in portraits, and to embrace their anatomy through the rich and gradient color of black. With his ideas Hughes not only wants to help the Negro artist rise above the racial mountain, but also to reconnect with their culture to spark pride and courage amongst oneselves. Hughes believes that the New Negro artist should learn to embrace and have pride of their culture and who they truly are (Hughes). Aaron Douglas’s “Building More Stately Mansions” exemplifies both Alain Locke and Langston Hugh’s proclaimed impression that modernism is built through constant hardship and determination, using culture, labor, and self-expression. In his artwork, Douglass illustrates an abstract image containing numerous buildings and figures that seem to indicate the progression of Negros through history. The journey of the Negro race from Africa to modern America is clearly signified through different figures in this piece. Like few Negro artworks at this time, Douglas’s “Building More Stately Mansion” shows ancient African influence through the depiction of the Sphinx. This represents the act of an artist looking to his past and reconnecting with Africa, which Alain Locke emphasizes as being a key to modernism. While Douglas represents the embrace of past Negro culture, he also shows the future of Negro culture. The figures form symbolic silhouettes from a sphinx to a modern skyscraper, which portrays the journey of the Negro through time. This recognition of past contributions such as the Sphinx to modern structures allude to Locke’s idea about the Old Negro’s transformation into a more recognized “New Negro”. Douglas does a good job showing the struggle of the Negro through depicting hard-working men laboring to support their community and reconstruct their image that was destroyed through slavery. Through the use of symbolic figures and social realities of life for the blacks throughout time Douglas depicted the past, present, and future of the Negro. Another piece of artwork that urges towards modernism is Hale Woodruff’s “African Headdress.” Woodruff demonstrates African heritage and culture through the depiction of color and nature. In this piece an African woman in a tropical setting is portrayed. The depiction of the African woman in a tribal setting hints a clear correlation between the woman and Africa. The women’s nudity in such a setting suggest her being one with nature. Woodruff’s piece relates directly back to Locke’s concept about embracing Africa. Woodruff properly exaggerates modernism through African schemes and features in the woman’s skin when he embraced her natural dark skin tone. The woman is depicted as dark through the contrast of black and white. It may even seem that the white tropical setting was drawn onto black paper, leaving the woman as a natural outcome of the outwork. By depicting the woman’s natural color through the contrast of black and white, Woodruff demonstrates the ideas of Langston Hughes. Hughes personally wanted more Negro artist to embrace the beauty of the African race through the depiction of a natural skin color. This final artwork, “Mask Composition”, by James Wells symbolizes both African culture in the past, and future. It clearly portrays both dark skinned, and light skinned Negros together as one. Wells depicts the lighter toned figures as light skin octoroon Negros, and the darker toned figures as darker skinned Negros from the past. The reason he chose to add both lighter and darker skin Negros was to show an interconnection between them. The lighter skinned Negros may be the New Negros, but are holding on to their African roots, which can be seen through the interconnection with the darker toned Negros. The New Negro’s are embracing their true color and looking to their past culture. This supports the arguments of both Alain Locke and Langston Hughes concept that modernism is shown through culture and symbolism.
All three of the pieces of artwork discussed in this paper display modernistic traits and provide a deeper interpretation that goes well beyond what is illustrated. Aaron Douglass, Hale Woodruff, and James Wells are a few of the artists of this time period who went against the norms of society and inequality that they faced to produce something that truly defined them as “New Negros.” Langston Hughes and Alain Locke both pushed for the embrace of Negro culture both past, present, and future. Their respective arguments about solutions of social issues that existed at the time had a profound effect on art and culture far beyond the Harlem Renaissance.
Works Cited
Douglas, Aaron. Building More Stately Mansions. 1944. Photograph. Ackland Art Museum, Chapel Hill.
Hughes, Langston. “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain,” in The Portable Harlem
Renaissance Reader, edited by David Levering Lewis, 91-95. New York: Viking, 1994.
Locke, Alain. “The New Negro,” in The Portable Harlem Renaissance Reader, edited by David
Levering Lewis, 46-51. New York: Viking, 1994.
White, Charles. Bearded Man. 1949. Photograph. Ackland Art Museum, Chapel Hill.
Wells, James. Mask Compisition.. n.d. photograph. Ackland Art Museum, Chapel Hill.
Woodruff, Hale. African Headdress. 1935. Photograph. Ackland Art Museum, Chapel Hill.