Jacob Lawrence: 5 works

'Born in New Jersey, he grew up in Harlem and it was Harlem, specifically, that prepared him for his career, technically and thematically. The intellectual ferment that characterized the Harlem Renaissance was not confined to literature and the young Lawrence was one of its prime beneficiaries.'

'Lawrence, like Sargent Claude Johnson, was inspired by Mexican muralists, particularly Jos‚ Clemente Orozco, who employed vivid colors and expressive figures in his works. The Card Game falls within Lawrence?s greater body of work, which highlights scenes in and around his Harlem neighborhood in the 1950s, giving vibrant glimpses into social gatherings.'

'The work to the upper left of the composition is a version from a painting originally executed for the children's book "Harriet and the Promised Land" from the life of Harriet Tubman, while the figure to the lower left of the composition is one that Lawrence used in many of the works from his Builders series.'

'However, it was also where he was exposed to the cultural movement known as the Harlem Renaissance. Subsequently, the vibrant energy of this movement radiates from the canvases created by Lawrence.'

'Based on biblical texts and his own memory of the Sunday sermons of the Rev. Adam Clayton Powell Sr. at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, New York, Jacob Lawrence?s Genesis Creation Sermon series delivers a richly personal interpretation.'