Aaron Douglas' message shines through in exhibit of rare works
12 a.m. Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Lawrence — A project highlighting a Topeka native is coming to the University of Kansas. The Aaron Douglas: African American Modernist exhibit has been eight years in the making.
"I think he is a modernist of the first order and he ranks among the top American modernists," said Susan Earle, Curator of European and American Art at the University of Kansas Spencer Museum of Art, describing the artistry of Aaron Douglas.
"He addresses race directly. History, tough issues including slavery, but he also has an uplifting component to many of his works," Susan said.
A Topeka native, Douglas was a driving force during the Harlem Renaissance and became known as the "The Father of Black-American Art."
The exhibit titled Aaron Douglas: African American Modernist is the first major touring retrospective of his work, bringing together nearly 100 pieces of art from around the country.
"Their aesthetic is so beautiful, and so powerful. And his message is still really relevant today," Susan said.
During a time when some modernist artists were focusing on abstraction, geometry and pushing subjects out, Douglas brought the subject matter back in with African influences, embracing cutting edge styles and ideas.
"His courage to do that, knowing exactly what he was doing was really radical. I don't think anyone else in the 20th century really has done that," Susan said.
The exhibit includes rarely seen works including vibrantly colored book jackets, a hand-carved wood block for prints and a water color of a French Chateau from Douglas' time in France, and a yearbook cover he designed as a student at Topeka High.
Douglas' works continue to inspire artists of today, as in a quilt in the exhibit representing Hurricane Katrina.
"To see an artist whose work was so important 80 years ago and continues to be important today is a rare and special thing," Susan said.
The Art of Aaron Douglas
“Aaron Douglas: African American Modernist” exhibit will be at KU’s Spencer Museum of Art through December 2nd. Admission is free. The Spencer Museum of Art is located at 1301 Mississippi St. in Lawrence, KS, and the phone number is (785) 864-4710. You can preview the exhibit online at www.aarondouglas.ku.edu.
The exhibit will also make stops at the First Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville; Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.; Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York.
Douglas taught and founded the art department at Fisk University, a historically black college in Nashville. In honor of the exhibit, the world renowned Fisk Jubilee Singers will sing at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, October 27 at Liberty Hall, 644 Massachusetts St. in Lawrence. Call for tickets: (785) 749-1972
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