MS01.01.03.B01.F13.008

7.

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from Africa."

It then follows that many styles have been explored
by black artists attempting to find themselves in the midst
of the search for cultural identity. Often these styles
are diverse in form and lack the unity of purpose commonly
referred to as a school of thought or a particular style in art.

It is further evident in many cases that each artist
has attempted to express in his own way his basic identity
with the American experience. This (experience?) often reflected the
negative aspects of being Black in America. It is, therefore,
obvious that the styles of expression by black artists
could not be limited to one general movement. Some
artists have chosen to work specifically with black themes.
Others have chosen to concern themselves with the joy of
painting in abstract and expressionistic styles. There
are the romantic realists as well as those who address
themselves to the aesthetic mechanics of medium alone.
Some of these artists have directed their work toward
themes which echo an African heritage. Some of the works of
the late 1920s and early 1930s best examplify
the trend called Negritude. The contemporary work of Romare Bearden follows
closely this trend of returning to the imagery of the ancestral
arts of Africa sometimes referred to as NEGRITUDE.
There are those artists who interpret African-American art
to be a confirmation of the literal life-style of black
people allowing no room for fantasy or imagination. As a
result of the latter mentioned statement, many artists have
turned to social realism causing their work to reflect