Critique of Jacob Lawrence “Ironers”

Critique of Jacob Lawrence “Ironers”

Critique of Jacob Lawrence “Ironers”
The artist I chose to critique was Jacob Lawrence and his artwork “Ironers” which is one of his scenes of Harlem life. The artwork is created with Gouache (opaque watercolor) on paper. This painting shows three black women in different positions pressing the irons into colorful clothing that match the stripes and blocks in the background. At the top left side of the portrait I see red and black diamond shapes across the top of a yellow wall. The middle of the portrait there are three black women with black irons pressing different color clothing. The first woman at the far left has the iron in her right hand while pressing a light blue and navy blue diamond pattern cloth and her left hand on a white table. The middle woman has her right shoulder raised with the iron in her hand while ironing a light blue cloth with a yellow shaped sock with three red circles outlined by black and her left hand on the white table. The last woman have both her hands on the iron pressing down on a striped red and yellow shirt. The background behind the women is red and black stripes. The top right of the portrait is blue in color.
Lawrence used bright, warm colors to draw your eyes attention and guide you thru the painting. His use of the colors red and orange guides your eye from the top to the bottom of the portrait. The artist used repetition in forms with the clothing and background and also used many random and inconsistent colors within the painting. Lawrence used repetition of shape, color and regular pattern to create to create a rhythm in the painting. The entire painting is mostly flat and lack texture except for the irons which are two dimensional. The artist used geometric shapes throughout the painting. There is asymmetrical balance to the painting created by background colors and the use of the three women in the middle of the painting. The emphasis of the painting is the three women ironing clothing.
As I view “Ironers” I get the sense the Lawrence is trying to show the hard work of black women during this time. The shapes of their arms and hands indicate great strength and physical exertion. The use of blues and the complementary oranges and reds give the painting a lot of energy. Jacob Lawrence used block, square and large figures to not only show the idea of domestic labor but to bring out the strength of the women. Lawrence chose to paint multiple women working because he wanted to portray the hard work done by different women.
Jacob Lawrence was interested in simple shapes, bold colors, and patterns. Lawrence was influenced by the people and places of the Harlem, where he lived and worked for most of his life. Jacob Lawrence was an artist who told stories with bold splashy colors. He gave us paintings of history and portraits which capture a fearless struggle against oppression. The art of Jacob Lawrence to account poverty, injustice and racism. His painting give a sense of hope and optimism, a celebration of a people who refuse to be kept down.