Harlem Renaissance

ハーレム・ルネサンス / 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.

Harlem Renaissance — The New Negro, first edition, 1925 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain — The New Negro, first edition, 1925 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

Harlem Renaissance — Aaron Douglas, study for a mural — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain — Aaron Douglas, study for a mural — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

Harlem Renaissance — Survey Graphic, Harlem issue, 1925 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain — Survey Graphic, Harlem issue, 1925 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

At a glance

Visual cues

Black self-representation
The jazz age
Magazines and publishing
Modern figures

Best used for

Magazines and books presenting Black writers and performers in their own terms.
Programs and covers for events linking music and literature around the human figure.

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Dictionary entry

Type: Letterspaced light capitals for headings, quiet settings for text meant to be read.
Composition: Cut figures into flat silhouettes and run images at the text column width.
Material: Prints and drawn illustration, few inks, the paper doing the shadow work.
Caution: Borrowing it as jazz age decoration drops the point, which was Black people representing themselves, and leaves a period flavored ornament.
Further study: Alain Locke / Aaron Douglas / The New Negro

Related entries

Art Deco (アール・デコ)Shared effects: Luxury / Exhilaration.Compare Harlem Renaissance and Art Deco
Photomontage (フォトモンタージュ)Shared effects: Rebellion / Exhilaration.Compare Harlem Renaissance and Photomontage

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Link: https://indexstyle.org/styles/harlem-renaissance
Markdown: [Harlem Renaissance — IndexStyle](https://indexstyle.org/styles/harlem-renaissance)
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