African American

Art and Artists

7 TH GRADE ART
MR. PHILIP ADOMAT

Lesson Objectives
1. Students will understand and
evaluate how the arts convey
meaning.
2. Students will perceive and
analyze artistic work.
3. Students will interpret intent
and meaning in artistic work.
4. Students will apply criteria to
and explain how those works reflect the society in which they were made.
evaluate artistic work.
5. Students will relate artistic
ideas and work with personal
meaning and external context.
6. Students will relate artistic
ideas and works with societal,
cultural and historical context to
deepen understanding.
California State Standards
CCSS ELA& Literacy History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects—Grade
7
Reading--Key Ideas and Details
1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical
speaking inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or to support
conclusions drawn from the text.
Reading--Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
9. Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build
knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.
Writing
4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and
style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Visual and Performing Arts: Visual Arts Content Standards (CA) Grade 7
3.0 Historical and Cultural Context
3.2 Compare and contrast works of art from various periods, styles, and cultures
English Language Development Standards—Grade 7
I.A.1. Exchanging information and ideas with others on a range of social and
academic topics.
I. B.6. Reading closely literary and informational texts and viewing multimedia to
determine how meaning is conveyed explicitly and implicitly through language.
I.C.10. Writing literary and informational texts to present, describe, and explain ideas
and information, using appropriate language.
Why Study
African
American
Art and
Artists?
T HI N K /PAI R/SHA RE
Four Eras of African American Art History

Pre-Civil War Post-Civil War Harlem Post WWII to

Renaissance present
Era: Pre-Civil War (17th Century to 1860s)

• Some slave
• Black slaves
• Slaves were artisans were paid
were skilled
apprentices and could buy
craftsman
their freedom
Dave the Potter (1800-1870)
 Dave’s Storage Jars
 This is an example of one of Dave’s storage jars.
He signed and inscribed each one.
Slaves were forbidden from learning how to read and write, so
how did Dave learn?
He wanted his verses to inspire other enslaved people and
encourage them to learn to read.
Now You Try

Take the handout that contains the

image of the jar and think about
what message you would send.
Write a message that you would like
to send out to the world on the jar.
Remember to consider the style and
size of your handwriting and the
placement of your message.
 African-American artists began to
exhibit their works in large cities.

However, there was still

Era: Post-Civil discrimination
War (1865-
1920s)
Their style was like European painters

African-American artists were better

appreciated in Europe than in U.S.
Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859-
1937)
§Tanner became a painter at 13
§He moved to Paris to escape prejudice in the U.S.
§He painted landscapes, stories from the Bible, and scenes from
everyday life.
§He won international recognition.
§To the right is a portrait of Tanner’s mother, who escaped
slavery on the Underground Railroad.
Let’s Look and
Think
TALK with a partner about this painting after you
have answered these questions on your Guided
Notes.

1. Describe this woman’s pose and facial

expression. What might she be feeling?

2. What might her clothing and the setting tell us

about her?

3. Where are the brightest parts of the picture?

The darkest?

4. How would you describe the mood of the

painting?

5. If you could read this woman’s thoughts, what

do you think they would be?
Era: Harlem Renaissance (1920s to
1940s)
 Aaron Douglas (1899-1979)
§ Douglas lived in Harlem, New York, and was a central painter
in the Harlem Renaissance

§ He was inspired by African sculpture and modern art and

design

§ His painting, Bird in Flight, was painted in 1927.

Let’s Look and Think
On your Guided Notes, answer the following questions:
What do the shapes in this painting remind you of?
The title of this painting is “Bird in Flight.” What do you think
now?
What do you see that reminds you of birds flying?
What kind of landscape does this take place in? What shapes
make you think that?
Era: 1950s to Present
Civil Rights Movement and
African American artists Black Arts Movement of the The feminist movement
were widely known or 1960s and 1970s helped gave rise to artists exploring
accepted. African American artists racism and sexism
become better known

In the 1980s and 1990s, hip

hop graffiti became well
known in urban
communities
Martin Puryear (b. 1941)
• Martin Puryear was an artist from an early age
• He studied in Sweden and at Yale University and worked with
craftspeople all over the world.
• He has strong interests in culture, history, and nature and draws
from his life experiences.

• His sculpture, Old Mole, is five feet high and five feet wide.
• It is made of cedar that Puryear crisscrossed together.
• Does the base remind us of a mole’s body? Is the top part like a
head and pointy nose?
Now You Try
Brainstorm with a partner a list of words to describe the color,
texture, size, and shape of Old Mole. Next, brainstorm all the
things the sculpture reminds you of. Where have you seen
something similar? Using this word bank, create poems, either
individually or collaboratively, describing the sculpture.
Elizabeth Catlett
(1915-2012)
Renowned sculptor Elizabeth Catlett
focused on women of color in their roles as
mothers, workers, and freedom fighters.

She lived in Mexico and was influenced by

the Mexican Revolution and artist Frida
Kahlo.

She made this sculpture in 1954 out of

terracotta, a brownish-red clay, when she
was living in Mexico City.
Art and Society
Catlett said this about the role of art: “I have always wanted
my art to service my people—to reflect us, to relate to us, to
stimulate us, to make us aware of our potential. We have to
create an art for liberation and for life.”
Respond to Catlett’s Quote:
Do you agree with what she believed about the role of art in
our society?
Why do artists make art?
How can art help society?
 Culminating
Activity #1
Forms and Shapes

Use the Venn Diagram in your handouts

to compare and contrast the forms and
shapes in Martin Puryear’s “Old Mole”
with those in “The Jar” by Dave the
Potter and the geometric shapes in
Aaron Douglas’s “Birds in Flight.” How
are they similar or different?
Culminating Activity #2
On your Guided Notes sheet, discuss what you have learned in
this lesson and write a summary of the main points based on
the Guided Notes. Discussion and summary should be around
200 words.
References
Aaron Douglas (n.d.). Retrieved from

www.aarondouglas.ku.edu/resources/teacher_resource.pdf

African American World (PBS) (n.d.) Retrieved from

www.pbs.org/wnet/aaworld/arts/index.html

Chrysler Museum of Art (n.d.) The sculpture of Elizabeth Catlett. Retrieved from

http://elizabethcatlett.net/

Drop Me Off in Harlem (n.d.) Retrieved from

www.artsedge.kennedy-center.org/interactives/harlem/faces/

Martin Puryear (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2007/martinpuryear/flash.html