Aaron Douglas Oil Painting Reproductions

Who was Aaron Douglas?

Aaron Douglas was a 20th-century African-American artist.
He was born in Kansas in 1899 and died in Nashville in 1979.

Douglas was educated in Topeka and, in 1918, graduated from the University of Nebraska with an Arts Degree. 

A move to Michigan allowed him to take evening classes at the Detroit Museum of Art. 
However, his real ambition was to study further in Paris.

In 1927 he settled in Harlem, where he worked painting and illustrating for periodicals that highlighted African-American injustices.
In his later years, Aaron Douglas moved to Tennessee, where he established the Art Department at Fisk University.

Why is Aaron Douglas Famous? 

Douglas is one of several famous African-American artists known not only for his oil paintings but also for his murals which focus on race, segregation, and black social issues of the time.

He was a prominent early 20th Century artist recognized as a preeminent leader of the African-American art movement.

Songs of the Towers was painted in 1934 and is a section from a four-part mural collection celebrating the rise of the Harlem Renaissance.

Let My People Go is one of his better-known paintings held by the Metropolitan Museum.  It is a powerful biblical oil painting depicting Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt.

Why was Aaron Douglas important to the Harlem Renaissance?

As a founder of the Harlem Renaissance art movement, his work and teachings inspired a new generation of young African Americans to become involved in the arts.

Aaron Douglas taught extensively in America, spreading the word and encouraging other black art students in their careers.

Which painting made Aaron Douglas famous?

He is best known for his silhouette paintings, of which Aspiration 1936, held by the de Young Museum in San Francisco, is his most famous.

Discover joyful oil painting reproductions by African-American artists of the Harlem Renaissance Art Movement.