Other works celebrate the vibrancy of life in Harlem and the fight for equality.
Read on to discover five of Lawrences works that capture his unique artistic style.
Discover five Jacob Lawrence paintings that powerfully illustrate African American history and culture.
Each work has its own caption.
ForPanel 57,it reads, The female workers were the last to arrive north.
Female domestic workers in the South were poorly paid and often struggled to make ends meet.
InThis is Harlem,Lawrence depicts these elements of the landscape as well as the spirit of the community.
A jumble of buildings and storefronts line the streets while human subjects are painted dotted throughout the scene.
On the right of the composition, two figures are shown dancing on the street corner.
Others are illustrated going in and out of the town church.
The white-toned building, composed of triangular and horizontal rectangular shapes, stands apart from the paintings other buildings.
In this piece, Lawrence highlights the importance of religion in African American life.
The surreal composition depicts two African American men forcibly arrested and escorted to jail by four white police officers.
They look afraid and defeated as theyre dragged through the streets.
The officers batons are exaggerated with loops on the end, just like a noose.
Lawrence references the history of violence against Black people and the upheavals of the 1960s civil rights movement.
LOuverture was born into slavery but led an uprising that freed Haiti from European rule.
He was determined to share the story and began to visualize moments from LOuvertures life in his art.
