Customer Reviews (2)

A wonderful overview.
This is a very nice looking book that not only provides context about the Harlem Renaissance and the proliferation of Black artists during the 20's and 30's, but it also includes many reproductions of some of the period's most representative works. From the cover photo which is a copy William Johnson's "Boy in a Vest," to the James VanDerZee's striking black and white photography, to the sculptures of Meta Warwick, the reader is treated to many examples of the visual arts. There are also essays and poems by the Countee Cullen and other writers of the time. This is a good introduction to the period and is suitable for children and young adults. And old adults too for that matter!

Wonderful!
This is a great book for someone interested in learning about the Harlem Renaissance.The author presents vital information in an accessible way, and illustrates the diversity and complexity that is American Art. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

expanding the scope of a central moment in modern art
This book provides those who are more likely to have believed the Harlem Renaissance to be entirely literary and entirely Harlem-centered with evidence of the all-encompassing scope and international import of this crucial, modern, blackened artistic surge.The exploration of black identity and construction of black nationality called the Harlem Renaissance is insightfully revisited through the social and artistic problems enacted in the works, within the voices, and upon the bodies of protagonists: Josephine Baker, Paul Robeson, and surprisingly, Orson Welles.This book is a fine complement to books which focus on literary-hitsorical aspects (such as David L. Lewis' _When Harlem was in Vogue_) and those which focus on music such as Angela Davis' _Blues Legacies and Black Feminism_ and Albert Murray's _Stomping the Blues_). It is a a fabulous expansion of the artistic territory encompassed in black art.Maya Angleou has said: "I am human, and therefore nothing h! uman can escape my grasp."I believe that black art has languished too long in the storage bin where fads and fanices go to die._Black Rhapsodies_ rescues the Renaissance from this fate by positing black art as a philosphical stance, therefore attainable in varied ways throughout the post WWI world--not as the exotic and undisciplined, irregular expressions of primitive black jungle souls on the drum-pulsing streets of 20s Harlem.I couldn't agree more, and I hope that the idea that black art is both a real category and a complex one full of contadictions is adopted in the teaching of the Renaissance.

My one complaint is minor and may stem from my own unfamiliarity with the indexing system of books on art.I found it difficult to locate quickly the visual art being described in certain passages.If there were a more convenient way on idexing the art or of expaining the system to the novice reader, it would be appreciated. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A valuable contribution to American Art history
This book is an extremely valuable contribution to the history of American art.Kirschke carefully describes and explains the life of Aaron Douglas----from his childhood in Kansas, to the heights of the Harlem Renassaince, and to his teaching position at Fisk University in his twilight years. Kirschke captures the essense of both the Harlem Renassaince and the life of Aaron Douglas with superb research and excellent prose.

An authoritative treatment
For those who have become interested in Douglas' art, this sets it and his life in a broader context.Very satisfying. ... Read more

Book Description
Read this book to find out about the many talented writers, painters, and other artists of the Harlem Renaissance.Explore the sights and sounds of Harlem's busy streets.Learn more about the people and places of Harlem's "Golden Age." ... Read more

Book Description
When Celeste Lassiter Massey is forced to live with her actress Aunt Valentina in Harlem, she is not thrilled to trade her friends and comfortable North Carolina for scary, big-city life. While Celeste experiences the Harlem Renaissance in full swing, she sees as much grit as glamour. A passionate writer, talented violinist, and aspiring doctor, she eventually faces a choice between ambition and loyalty, roots and horizons. The decision will change her forever. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Celeste's Stellar Story
A motherless teenager at thirteen, Celeste lives with her beloved, consumptive father andabrasive Aunt Society inRaleigh, North Carolina in 1921.Despite Aunt Society's extreme strictness and terrible cooking, CeCe's life is relatively happy. She has supportive friends and recognition for her school work. Although her circumstances are modest, CeCeis talented and ambitious. She plays a mean violin, which she calls "DeDe," and plans to become a doctor. Her only other close relative is an aunt who shows up periodically from what Cece believes is a glamorous existence in Harlem.

Cece's circumstances are worse than modest, they are exceedingly precarious. When her father is sent to a sanatorium, she is bundled off to New York to live with Aunt Valentina. Auntie meets her at the train station, but instead of taking her to a beautiful home, she takes her to a theater. This is not the expected theater where her aunt is a star. This is a theaterwhere they both scrub the stageon their hands and knees until CeCeis so exhausted, she keeps falling down on the way to her aunt's tiny, windowless apartment. Her introduction to Harlem is harsh indeed. As a former companion to an opera singer,however, her aunt does know many of the people who are part of the Harlem Renaissance. Gradually, despite the grinding work, CeCe is introduced to them.

Filled with colorful characters - including Aunt Society - the author brings to vivid life a wonderful protagonist. CeCe seems absolutely real. She is ultimately presented with an ethical decision that would stagger a wise adult. Played out against the backdrop of the segregated south with its myriad oppressions and Harlem during the Renaissance period with its myriad chances, CeCe is influenced by both but overwhelmed by neither. A strong young heroine in a stellar story.
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