Jacob Lawrence: Storyteller

Jacob Lawrence was born in 1917 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. When he was 13, Jacob’s family moved to Harlem. He took art classes with some of the most important artists of the Harlem Renaissance. These artists taught Jacob more than just artistic techniques—they shared their ideas about using art to celebrate African-Americans.

When he was in his 20s, Lawrence had a big idea. He created a series of 60 paintings depicting scenes from the Great Migration. When viewed together, the paintings told a story. Lawrence’s series was so popular that he became one of the most famous artists of his day.

During his career, Lawrence created many series—all connected by a common theme. One of his favorite themes was his neighborhood, and many of Lawrence’s paintings capture the vibrancy of Harlem.

In When It Is Warm the Parks Are Filled With People, right, Lawrence shows a relaxing day in a city park. He paints the stylized figures with flat colors. Shown from above, the skewed perspective draws us in. The girl’s raised hand and the bench’s diagonal lines draw our eye to the focal point—the man selling ice cream.

In Street Shadows, at the top of this page, Lawrence depicts people gathered outdoors. On hot summer nights, with no air-conditioning, people’s lives spilled out onto the streets. In the foreground, some gather to watch a checkers game as others in the middle ground lounge on the front stoops of buildings. In the background, bright windows in the buildings illuminate small scenes, such as the barbershop on the left.

There is a sense of equality in this painting. It has no focal point, so none of the figures is any more or less important. Lawrence places us right at street level, so we become a part of the scene.