Harlem Renaissance

Powell’s overall thesis is, “The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural and psychological water-shed, and era in which black people were perceived as having finally liberated themselves from a past fraught with self-doubt and surrendered instead to an unprecedented optimism, a novel pride in all things black and a cultural confidence that stretched beyond the borders of Harlem to other black communities in the Western world.” Powell’s overall point in this article is the beauty of the Harlem Renaissance and the cultural influence in brought to North America, not only to African American communities but to communities of other racial ethnicities as well. The utilization of black arts (literature, visual arts, and music) brew throughout the United
Powell stats that the beginning and end, on the other hand, was from the 1920s to the 1930s. The influence of the Harlem Renaissance stretched out from Harlem and reached black communities throughout the Western world. The Harlem Renaissance, itself, describes the African-American communities and their cultural experiences that are located in Harlem New York City. “It not only locates this black creativity in Harlem but situates it between the end of the First World War and the 1929 stock-market crash and ensuing worldwide economic depression” (16). It also refers to a particular type of art (overwhelmingly literary and music, and occasionally visual) and frequently excludes certain art forms (like film and, curiously, graphic design) and certain
Many of the artists described impose “modern” and cultural aspects into their pieces to present the black Harlem culture during that particular time. Although, as Powell clearly states on several occasions, African American art and their ideas remain unrecognized by some despite the role these works have played in the construction of modernity (Powell, 20). Powell continues his discussion by listing and describing several artist who contributed towards the Harlem Renaissance such as: James VanDerZee, Archibald J. Motley Jr., Aaron Douglas, Miguel Covarrubias, and much more. Overall, the combination of all forms of art are what made the Harlem Renaissance such an amazing period in time. Men and women who were going through similar hardships, in approximately the same area create beautiful works for art (literature, music, and visual art) focused their pain and sadness in a very creative manner which inspired other to do the same. Those who were not able to copy, did what they were capable of doing. For me, this is an amazing topic to consider because of how these African Americans used their hardships to create…things, beautiful things. What amazes me even more is that it was a cultural event, where large masses of people used art to express themselves instead of violence (even though that still existed during the Harlem