Compose two styles
Rather than blending two styles into a middle, this assigns them roles: one carries the structure, the other appears as an accent. Where the two fight, it says so before you start.
How to divide the work
- Composition
- Follow Harlem Renaissance: Cut figures into flat silhouettes and run images at the text column width.
- Type
- Set in Harlem Renaissance's manner (Letterspaced light capitals for headings, quiet settings for text meant to be read.), and let Zoot Suit's lettering (No lettering, the chain and the tilt of the hat do the signalling) appear only where you want the eye to catch.
- Material
- Ground in Harlem Renaissance's material (Prints and drawn illustration, few inks, the paper doing the shadow work.); bring in exactly one thing from Zoot Suit (Generous heavy worsted cut in one light color throughout).
- Colour
- Build on #d7bc83, #8a4937, #24201e and admit one accent from #eae6de, #6b655c, #1a1815.
Where they fight
These two are already listed as related, so the join should come easily.
Caution
- Harlem Renaissance Borrowing it as jazz age decoration drops the point, which was Black people representing themselves, and leaves a period flavored ornament.
- Zoot Suit Toning down the shoulder and the peg removes the tension in the proportion and leaves an oversized vintage suit. Do not use it as costume, since it carries a history of racism and riots.
Image prompt
An original image that takes its structure from Harlem Renaissance (Style, 1920s–1930s) and its accent from Zoot Suit (Style, 1930s–1940s). Structural cues: Black self-representation; The jazz age; Magazines and publishing; Modern figures. Accent cues, used sparingly: Exaggerated shoulders; Knee-length jackets; Pegged wide trousers; Long watch chains. Composition: Cut figures into flat silhouettes and run images at the text column width.. Type and lettering: Letterspaced light capitals for headings, quiet settings for text meant to be read.. Let one material quality come from the second style: Generous heavy worsted cut in one light color throughout. Mood: Exhilaration, Rebellion, Luxury, Play. Color: build on #d7bc83, #8a4937, #24201e with a single accent drawn from #eae6de, #6b655c, #1a1815. Constraints: do not imitate, reference or name any specific artist, studio, brand, character or copyrighted work. Produce an original composition in the general period languages described above.
Related entries
- Harlem Renaissance 1920s–1930s / Style / Black Arts Movement
A cultural movement that rebuilt Black self-representation and modernity in the words and images of Black people themselves, working through literature, music, theater, publishing and art.
- Zoot Suit 1930s–1940s / Style / Subculture Style
The earliest street style: suits with wildly exaggerated shoulders and pegged trousers, by which Black and Mexican-American youth asserted their existence in a discriminatory society.
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