part two (A, B & C)

The slide-show/galleries below (right) labelled B + C, shows a  narrative (though not strictly linear) of the kinds of work that was being produced, internationally, while our African Ancestors were taken to the America's to work on the many products that created wealth for the Western world.

Works like the European images can be seen in the National Portrait Gallery and other such establishments....it is not so important the specific paintings, but rather the story they are trying to and have successfully conveyed for hundreds of years. Of an unequal power relationship between black and white. The presence of the Enslavement Trade, had consequences around the world, and indeed the unique moto of Jamaica, bears testament to that, therefore, works from other parts of the world are also shown as the evidence of the 'flavour of the culture(s)' from whence many people came.

Not withstanding the Tate family, for whom the Tate gallery empire is named after, made their money in sugar....incidently, the name in Twi (West Africa) for those Africans who did go into slavery literally means 'those that went to work on the sugar cane.

A. 'Big Pimpin'

FOLLOWING TEXT FROM NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY WEBSITE

This picture memorialises two wealthy, educated and powerful young men. On the left is Jean de Dinteville, aged 29, French ambassador to England in 1533. To the right stands his friend, Georges de Selve, aged 25, bishop of Lavaur, who acted on several occasions as ambassador to the Emperor, the Venetian Republic and the Holy See.

The picture is in a tradition showing learned men with books and instruments. The objects on the upper shelf include a celestial globe, a portable sundial and various other instruments used for understanding the heavens and measuring time. Among the objects on the lower shelf is a lute, a case of flutes, a hymn book, a book of arithmetic and a terrestrial globe.

Certain details could be interpreted as references to contemporary religious divisions. The broken lute string, for example, may signify religious discord, while the Lutheran hymn book may be a plea for Christian harmony.
Black Art City
So it is obvious from the image above, that these two are very powerful people, and speak of the power-relationship that was being established as early as the early 16th Century and of course earlier.  There are studies and books that delve into the matter much more deeply, such as 'Blacks in Western Art', but essentially, as Walter Rodney points out in is 'must-read' book 'How Europe Underdeveloped Africa' it is the nature of the relationship, the exchange that is important.

We also see that culture, Is the transmitter of ideas and Art, as during those times was a tool used for such purpose as being one of the main ways a King would see his future bride, that these images of the world were very important in the creation of identities, and thus crucial to things like self-esteem.

Rijksmuseum acquires unique Renaissance panel by Jan Mostaert Thursday, 7 July 2005

The Rijksmuseum Amsterdam has acquired a unique portrait of an African man. The panel Portrait of an African man, painted by Jan Mostaert and dating approximately from the period 1520-30, is the only independent painted portrait of a black man in the Renaissance. The BankGiro Loterij, the Mondriaan Stichting, Vereniging Rembrandt co-facilitated by Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds, the VSBfonds and the Rijksmuseum Fonds contributed towards the acquisition of the panel, purchased for € 600,000.
Jan Mostaert, Portrait of an African man, ca. 1520-30

An independent portrait of a black African, appearing so early in the 16th century, is absolutely unique. Black kings were regularly depicted in the 15th and 16th centuries in representations of The adoration of the Magi, but portrayals of Moorish kings in such paintings were generally very stereotypical. It is not known who is represented on the panel just acquired. There are indications that he was associated with the court of Margaret of Austria in Mechelen or was an attendant of Charles V. His pose, his rich clothing and other details are evidence of a successful assimilation within the cultural standards of the European Renaissance.
TEXT FROM CODART

B. 16th Century Art, (& pre-20th Century Art) Examples from Europe,
India, China, Lebanon & The continent of Africa (Mainly Benin).
Click on individual images to reveal captions.

Part Two. C.

A new picture.

And so...history tells us that when people go to another place (whatever the circumstances) they take their customs and 'mores', and so it was with the situation of the African Diasporic peoples....throughout the America's different shades of black and brown, coming out of the journeys of a variety of people...So fast forward to the time when the Great Jamaican,  Marcus Garvey, went to America to spread his word, and this (click on slide show, below) is what he would've encountered.

Music produced out of the states was very popular world-wide.

Many artists of African origin performed for a broad audience, and created art work too.

Particularly reknowned was the Harlem Renaissance period...Renaissance means re-birth...This also included or maybe was better known for writers.

Alma Thomas (1891-1978)

Augusta Savage (1892-1962)
Known for her exuberantly colorful canvases filled with abstract shapes and patterns, Alma W. Thomas had her first one-woman show at the age of 68, after retiring from a thirty-five year teaching career.  She accomplished many ‘firsts’ in her lifetime: in 1924, she was the first graduate of the Fine Art Department of Howard University; in 1934, the first African-American woman to gain a Master’s degree in art from Columbia University; and, 1972, when she was 80,

One of the earliest in the modern style was Romare Beardon (1914-88)

And in 'Ol blighty' (Britain) too

Thank you.....Hope you enjoyed it...why not find out more, in your own time? The next part will be Part 3. This exhibition has been extended til January 2013...(Though a new show WILL start in early January 2013).

Meanwhile.....DO check out some Fine Performance Artists in the Nubian lounge...