Jacob Lawrence

Jacob Lawrence was an African American painter born in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 7, 1917.
When his parents split, his mom moved he and his siblings to Harlem, in New York City. Jacob was 13.
He loved the shapes and colors of Harlem.

I picked him for our artist this month because I love the colors and shapes in his paintings. Look at the ones I put here and see if you don’t agree that they have vibrant colors. The first one is called "The Ironers."


Jacob Lawrence studied art in Harlem and painted the history and struggles of African Americans.
He was part of a movement called the Harlem Renaissance.
This was a cultural movement during the 1920s and 1930s.
Creative expression was a major part of this movement.

Here is a painting he did in 1967 entitled "Dream Series #5: The Library."






He was a painter and a teacher.



Here is a self portrait painted in 1977.
















Below is "Munich Olympic Games 1971."






Here are two sites where you can learn more about the art of Jacob Lawrence.
The Whitney Museum of Art

If you want to explore his Migrations Series, click on the link below.
The Migration Series
This was a collection of paintings depicting the black movement from the south to the north.

Jacob Lawrence was a storyteller. He painted important periods in African American history. He died June 9, 2000 at the age of 82.