The artist Aaron Douglas, born in 1899, was an artist whose style can be described as modernist. He was a leading figure in the Harlem Renaissance, influencing many others as well as creating opportunities for artists to flourish as well.
One work of his that I would like to talk about is Let My People Go (1935). The painting sets a scene for us in a flat, silhouetted style. It shows a man, kneeling in the middle of what seems like a large conflict taking place in Egypt, as shown by the pyramids in the background. The kneeling man also has a ray of light shining down on him, and only him, leaving the others in the shadow. The painting is telling the story of Moses as God orders him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. The painting also serves to symbolize the struggles and fights that African Americans have gone through in their quest for freedom in 20th Century America. This fresh take on a popular biblical tale showcases one of the main points in modernism, which is finding new ways to convey emotion and stories through art.
In this case, Douglas moves away from typical classic depictions of religious imagery that focused on hyper-realism and classical depictions of beauty, instead using the flat, heavily stylized art style that he was known for, and was still able to convey the severity and importance of the event with his use of only a few colors. I encountered this work while walking through a modernism focused section of the Met, and I was drawn in by its composition. It’s use of green, purple, and a few shades of yellow/tan make the piece seem simple at first, but it’s an amazing contrast helped keep me focused on its subject without getting distracted by other features like I would have in a Renaissance painting, without losing its symbolism and strong emotions. It forces ones focus on the actual message of the painting, and on their emotions regarding the piece, instead of simply thinking to themselves that it looks pretty and then move on. The colors also compliment each other really well, making it easy for me to look at and enjoy, as well as add in a new layer of symbolism, showing all the other people being covered by a dark purple shadow, while God’s golden light only reaches Moses, kneeling in the desert.
Lisander, I’m really glad that you chose an American artist. Douglas’ painting is a great example of Modernism, as you’ve described, both for its formal experimentation and for its subject matter. I’m not entirely sure why, but many modernists looked to the aesthetics of ancient Egypt and incorporated them into their works, so here we see both the allusion to the biblical story of the exodus from Egypt and some signs of Egyptian aesthetic influence. Nice work!