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Study for Aspects of Negro Life: The Negro in an African Setting

A work made of gouache, with touches of graphite, on illustration board.

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  • A work made of gouache, with touches of graphite, on illustration board.

Date:

1934

Artist:

Aaron Douglas
American, 1899-1979

About this artwork

Aaron Douglas, an important figure in the Harlem Renaissance, made this finished study for the first of five murals intended for the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture at the 135th Street branch of the New York Public Library. The murals depict the history of African Americans, from their origins in Africa to life in America in the 1930s. Through his use of Egyptian profiles and elements of African art, Douglas utilized a hybrid Western-African aesthetic also seen in works by artists like Pablo Picasso.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Aaron Douglas

Title

Study for Aspects of Negro Life: The Negro in an African Setting

Place

United States (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1934

Medium

Gouache, with touches of graphite, on illustration board

Dimensions

37.2 × 40.6 cm (14 11/16 × 16 in.)

Credit Line

Solomon Byron Smith and Margaret Fisher funds

Reference Number

1990.416

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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