Building More Stately Mansions

Aaron Douglas 

The painting above, Building More Stately Mansions, was created by Aaron Douglas in 1944; a painter and a major public figure for the Harlem Renaissance. The piece is a perfect and tangible way of understanding the African Americans role in major parts of history, the worker. You see workers coming together surrounded by monuments that were more than likely built by blacks. The Egyptian pyramid and the Sphinx are depicted in the background as part of those monuments. From my own previous knowledge I know that blacks weren't the only ones that worked on the sculptural monsters. African Americans were generally used as slaves, servants and workers in ancient times and even throughout most of history. Douglas is not accrediting all major landmarks or all hard labor to the negro population but he is merely emphasizing their socially constructed role in society.

I typed in "Harlem Renaissance artwork" into google and I received a gazillion pictures. Out of all those pieces, artwork by Aaron Douglas was consistently intriguing me. His pieces looked very different from the rest; it was modern, clean, mentally accessible and even commercial. Many of his pieces look as if they came from movie posters or comics. His work even seems digitally created, with all its smooth tones and flat colors. I could imagine seeing his artwork today and it would still seem relevant in terms of aesthetic.

Building More Stately Mansion exemplifies the HR theme of Negro history & heritage. Like I mentioned before, it depicts the role blacks have had throughout most of history, at least under a ruler. It does not show the black race in their own kingdom, but instead as an alien worker under the reign of someone outside the black culture and heritage, usually under the white ruler. They are used as servants, slaves and workers when put under the "minority" category.