#NormanLewis 🗿

Pastel and acrylic painting on paper of portrait of green man with pink and peach colored eyes. He wears a light blue sweater and an orange shirt. The background is blue.

Portrait of Norman Lewis. Born in 1909, Lewis was an American artist who abandoned the social realism of his early career in favor of abstraction and aesthetics. #art #artsky #painting #painter #traditionalart #normanlewis #humanart

African-American artist, scholar, teacher and activist Norman Lewis

Among the first generation of Abstract Expressionists, he used representational strategies to focus on black urban life and struggles.

Cantata, 1948

#NormanLewis #ModernArt #AbstractExpressionism

African-American artist, scholar, teacher and activist Norman Lewis

Among the first generation of Abstract Expressionists, he used representational strategies to focus on black urban life and struggles.

Woman, 1948

#NormanLewis #ModernArt #AbstractExpressionism

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Original post on mastodon.africa

I read #NormanLewis's #diaries entitled #Naples44. A book I had long looked forward to. It is a big disappointment.

Lewis was an intelligence officer in the British Army during #WorldWar2. As he describes it, he was really a glorified police officer with ambiguous duties. He describes the […]

“Girl With Yellow Hat,” an oil painting by American artist Norman Lewis from 1936, is an exemplar of Figurative Expressionism. The artwork captures the essence of contemplative solitude through its striking composition and vivid use of color. Painted early in his career, the oil on canvas shows a seated African-American woman who seems to be in deep thought. She is dressed simply in a pale dress that contrasts with her dark skin tones. The focal point is the broad yellow hat that covers her head, casting a shadow over her face, which rests pensively on her hand. The background is composed of muted, earthy hues that further emphasize the central figure. The overall composition suggests a moment of introspection, rendered with a textured and almost tactile execution characteristic of oil paint. The form of the piece is simplified and the color and design are emphasized using distinct colors. The yellow hat shields the woman’s face and is the main focus of the image. Lewis finds a way to balance realism and modernism. Painted during the interwar period, the work can be understood within a broader artistic trend where artists explored interiority and psychological states. Lewis, later known for his abstract expressionism, shows a sensitivity to figurative representation here. It's a painting made at a time when Black artists were pushing against prescribed tropes. The limited palette also speaks volumes – muted tones, punctuated only by the brightness of the hat. It's like the hat is a symbol of a fleeting joy, contrasted with the more somber mood of the rest of the scene. Looking at the artist’s wider oeuvre and considering Lewis’s involvement in the Harlem art scene, there’s a subtle dialogue occurring about visibility, representation, and perhaps even the performance of identity. The hat may offer a layer of anonymity, but at the same time suggests agency on the woman’s part.

“Girl with Yellow Hat” by Norman Lewis (American) - Oil on burlap canvas / 1936 - Michael Rosenfeld Gallery (New York) #womeninart #art #oilpainting #HarlemRenaissance #NormanLewis #AfricanAmericanArtist #womensart #FigurativeExpressionism #artwork #AfricanAmericanArt #ArtText #ModernArt #1930s

#NormanLewis.

Girl with yellow hat, (1936)

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