Jacob Lawrence Tales of Freedom
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Jacob Lawrence:
Dynamic Cubism

The Deception from The Touissant L’Ouverture Series by Jacob Lawrence
Title: The Deception from The Touissant L’Ouverture Series, 1997
Artist: Jacob Lawrence, American (1917-2000)
Medium: Silkscreen
Courtesy of Evelyn Boulware
Image Courtesy: The Allentown Museum

Jacob Lawrence
Tales of Freedom
Allentown Museum
October 8, 2006 - January 7, 2007

Jacob Lawrence created series of narrative paintings that illustrated key moments in the history of African Americans. He was born in Atlantic City, spent some time in Pennsylvania and eventually he moved to Harlem, New York with his mother and siblings. Lawrence trained at the Harlem Art Show. He studied art and African-American history and combined these two interests in his artistry.

Jacob Lawrence: Tales of Freedom at the Allentown Museum exploring the profound work from this unique artist.

Visitors to the exhibit will have the opportunity to view 8 prints from his Toussaint L’Ouverture series, 22 prints from the John Brown series, and one print Revolt on the Amistad.

General Toussaint L’Ouverture from The Touissant L’Ouverture Series by Jacob Lawrence
Title: General Toussaint L’Ouverture from
The Touissant L’Ouverture Series, 1986
Jacob Lawrence, American (1917-2000).
Medium: Silkscreen.
Courtesy of DC Moore Gallery, New York.
Image Courtesy: The Allentown Museum

Francis Dominique Toussaint, also known as Toussaint L'Ouverture, was a Haitian patriot, who overthrew the slave system and liberated the Caribbean island nation from France. After several successful military victories at one point giving Toussaint control of both Haiti and what is now the Dominican Republic, Napoleon sent a large force against him. The Haitians resisted and a peace treaty was signed. Toussaint was seized and died in a French prison.

The dramatic images featured in this exhibition were conceived in the midst of World War II (in which the artist served as a member of the Coast Guard) and capture Lawrence’s reflections on two signature struggles for freedom by people of the African Diaspora. The Toussaint L’Ouverture series was painted in 1938, and Lawrence later developed the paintings into a collection of fifteen prints (1986-1997).

John Brown took to guerilla warfare from The Legend of John Brown Portfolio by Jacob Lawrence
Title: John Brown took to guerilla warfare, from The Legend of John Brown Portfolio
Artist: Jacob Lawrence, American (1917-2000).
Medium: Gouache.
Collection of Evelyn Boulware.
Image Courtesy: The Allentown Museum

The John Brown series was painted in 1941 showing the transformation of Brown from a land surveyor into a messianic leader of the abolitionist movement just prior to the American Civil War. Lawrence pays tribute to Brown’s religious zeal depicting him as a Christian martyr.

Jacob Lawrence earned many accolades including in 1990 the National Medal of Arts. His influences were from Harlem; he called his own individual style "dynamic cubism".

Jacob Lawrence: Tales of Freedom
Allentown Art Museum:
October 8, 2006 - January 7, 2007

Allentown Art Museum

www.allentownartmuseum.org

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