Rhapsodies in Black: Art of the Harlem Renaissance

by Richard J. Powell, David A. Bailey

Harlem has captivated the imagination of writers, artists, intellectuals, and politicians around the world since the early decades of this century. Rhapsodies in Art of the Harlem Renaissance examines the cultural reawakening of Harlem in the 1920s and 1930s as a key moment in twentieth-century art history, one that transcended regional and racial boundaries. Published to coincide with the exhibition that opens in England and travels to the United States, this catalog reflects the Harlem Renaissance's impressive range of art forms—literature, music, dance, theater, painting, sculpture, photography, film, and graphic design. The participants included not only artists based in New York, but also those from other parts of the United States, the Caribbean, and Europe.

Richard J. Powell and David A. Bailey present selected works that focus on six Representing "The New Negro;" Another Modernism; Blues, Jazz, and the Performative Paradigm; The Cult of the Primitive; Inheritance and Seizure; and Jacob Lawrence's Toussaint L'Ouverture series. The visual arts from 1919 to 1938 included in the book suggest the extraordinary vibrancy of the time when Harlem was a metaphor for modernity. In spite of the importance of the Harlem Renaissance to early twentieth-century American culture and to the artistic climate of "Jazz Age" Paris and Weimar Berlin, few art exhibitions have been devoted exclusively to the subject. Rhapsodies in Black will be welcomed for its unique presentation of this creative time.

Genres: Art, African American, Nonfiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1997

Reviews

[Bunnyhugger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw this exhibition at the Hayward Gallery in 1997. It left a deep impression on me and many times I've thought back to it. I still have the postcards I bought representing the different artists' work - they moved with me across the pond. I was so happy to discover that my library network had a copy of the exhibition catalog (which I could not afford to purchase at the time) so I could relive the event, albeit in a small way. Even if you haven't seen the exhibit, I highly recommend this for the essays and the art work. It is a very thought-provoking and fascinating exploration of black art and cultural identity in the 1920s and 1930s, showcasing dance, theater, painting, sculpture, photography, film, and graphic design.

[Sherrice Mojgani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing art and good essays

[Val · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1997 an exhibition of visual arts was put on at the Hayward Gallery which showcased the artistic movement known as the Harlem Renaissance. This is a series of essays written to accompany the exhibition tour. (It was also displayed at the Arnolfini Gallery in Bristol and the Mead Gallery in Warwick. In 1998 the exhibition went to San Francisco and Washington.)
Not all the featured artists are from New York or African-American, or even all dark skinned. The exhibition and the essays link what was happening in Harlem with the European Modernism movement, native African art and movements within the African diaspora around the world. There are high quality reproductions of paintings, graphic art and sculpture, both journalistic and artistic photographs, coverage of the music, theatre and film of the time and some mention of the literature. There are extended reviews of Orson Welles' production of Macbeth, Josephine Baker's dance and film work, Paul Robeson, jazz and Doris Ullman's photography, as well as chapters putting all this creativity into both a global and a specifically Harlem context.