Jacob Lawrence

Jacob Lawrence
 - He called his style "dynamic cubism."
 - At the age of 16, he dropped out of high school.
 - He attended class at the Harlem Art Workshop taught by Charles Alston
 - His migration series in the 1940's made him nationally known.
 - The Harlem community and the struggles of African Americans was his inspiration.

When he first arrived in Harlem in 1930, Lawrence referred to the "endlessly fascinating patterns" of "cast-iron fire escapes and their shadows created across the brick walls." He remarked on the "variegated colors and shapes of pieces of laundry on lines stretched across the back yards…the patterns of letters on the huge billboards and the electric signs." Ordinary everyday tasks, events, and routines sparked Lawrence's imagination. He used what he saw around him to document the people, visual culture, movement, color, sounds, and spirit of the community. 

The Migration Series