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Aaron Douglas

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Artist

The Resume

    (May 26, 1899-February 2, 1979)
    Born in Topeka, Kansas
    Founded Fisk Art Department in Nashville
    Painted murals for the Works Progress Administration (1934)
    Major figure in the Harlem Renaissance
    Painted illustrations for James Weldon Johnson’s 'God’s Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse'
    Notable works included 'Portrait of a Young Man,' 'Noah's Ark,' 'The Creation,' 'Song of the Towers' and 'The Negro in an African Setting'

Why he might be annoying:

    He tried to join the Student Army Training Corps (SATC) at the University of Nebraska during World War I, but was dismissed.
    He quit as a high school teacher in Kansas City to go to New York and Paris.
    His work mostly depicted figures as silhouettes (although he did do traditional portraiture as well).

Why he might not be annoying:

    He worked as a busboy to finance his education.
    He was the first African American to graduate from the University of Nebraska with a Bachelor of Fine Arts.
    He lived briefly in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
    He helped to found the Harlem Artist’s Guild.
    During the Great Depression he led WPA negotiations securing Federal contracts for African-American artists.
    His art addressed social issues around racism and segregation in the United States through Afro-centric imagery.
    He has been called 'the father of black American art.'
    He utilized shades of purple, violet, and green in ways that were striking.
    He taught visual art classes at Fisk University until his retirement in 1966.

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 10 Votes: 20.0% Annoying