Aaron Douglas Oil Painting Reproductions

Who is Aaron Douglas?

Aaron Douglas is a 20th-century African-American artist. He was born in Kansas in 1899 and died in Nashville in 1979. Today, his African American oil paintings are highly prized. Douglas was educated in Topeka, gaining an Arts Degree from the University of Nebraska. A move to Michigan enabled further studies at the Detroit Art Museum. However, his real ambition was to live and study in Paris with some of the great artists of the day. In 1927, Aaron Douglas moved to Harlem, painting and illustrating periodicals highlighting African-American injustices.

In his later years, Douglas founded the Art Department at Fisk University in Nashville.

Why is Aaron Douglas Famous?

Douglas is one of several African-American famous artists known for their paintings and murals. Most of his art focuses on race, segregation, and black social issues of the time. As an early 20th Century artist, Douglas is a preeminent African American art movement leader. Aaron Douglas's famous paintings include Songs of the Towers, painted in 1934. The painting is a section from a four-part mural collection celebrating the rise of the Harlem Renaissance art movement. Let My People Go is a powerful biblical oil painting depicting Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt. Held by The Metropolitan Museum, it represents one of Aaron Douglas' better-known works of art.

Why is Aaron Douglas important to the Harlem Renaissance?

As a founder of the Harlem Renaissance art movement, Aaron Douglas's paintings and teachings inspired a new generation of young African Americans to become involved in the arts. He taught extensively in America, spreading the word and encouraging other black art students in their careers.

Famous Paintings by Aaron Douglas

The artist is best known for his silhouette paintings, of which Aspiration 1936, held by the de Young Museum in San Francisco, is one of his most famous paintings. Discover joyful oil painting reproductions of African American art and the Harlem Renaissance Art Movement.

Our extensive catalog also features replica oil paintings by Henry Ossawa Tanner, who significantly influenced Douglas's career and art.