1946 Life Magazine Offers Platform for 12 ‘Negro’ Artists
NUDE FROM THE WAIST UP, Eldzier Cortor‘s vision of Black female beauty made quite a statement in 1946 when it was showcased in Life magazine. While other Black artists, preoccupied with racial uplift, generally portrayed Black women in morally unambiguous circumstances, Cortor embraced the natural beauty and power of their bodies. In his view, dignity...
Elle Magazine Features Mickalene Thomas, Julie Mehretu and Carrie Mae Weems
THE FASHION IN THE NEW ISSUE of Elle magazine is eclipsed by coverage of women making a name for themselves in the art world. Carrie Mae Weems, Julie Mehretu and Mickalene Thomas—three bonafide art stars—made the cut. The December 2013 issue features the notable contemporary artists, black women with vastly different practices who’ve forged...
Before ’12 Years a Slave,’ ‘Roots’ Captured American Audiences
IN MUCH THE SAME WAY moviegoers are praising and discussing “12 Years a Slave” today, more than 36 years ago, American television audiences were engaged with the ABC miniseries “Roots.” It was appointment television for eight consecutive evenings beginning Sunday, Feb. 23, 1977. Granted, Steve McQueen’s new film has been lauded for its Oscar-worthy performances,...
Negro Digest Publishes Charles White’s ‘Images of Dignity’
WITH MASTERFUL STROKES, Charles White (1918-1979) captured the strength, character and complexity of African Americans in dramatic charcoal illustrations. When his Social Realist images were published in a book for the first time in 1967, Negro Digest promoted it. In an un-bylined article, the magazine featured a portfolio of Charles White’s drawings from “Images...
Jacob Lawrence Makes Publishing History
TUCKED AMONG A SERIES of reports on the automobile industry and articles on wind energy, Africa and geopolitics, the November 1941 issue of Fortune magazine features a portfolio of 26 paintings by Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000). Eight pages are devoted to “The Migration of the Negro,” his series depicting the great migration of black Americans from...
For TV Guide, Romare Bearden Interprets the New NFL Season
TIME WAS, TV GUIDE WAS A FIXTURE in American family rooms across the country. Known for engaging artists to illustrate its covers, in anticipation of the 1977 NFL football season, the weekly guide of television listings turned to Romare Bearden (1911-1988) to render its cover. As a result, the work of one of America’s...
