Notes on Black Aesthetics

These flashcards cover key concepts, figures, and themes discussed in the lecture on Black Aesthetics, crucial for understanding the intersection of art, identity, and history.

Black Aesthetics

An interdisciplinary field that views art as a site of political and cultural struggle, focusing on power, identity, and history.

Barber-Art History

The idea that art history must be rethought through Black study, recognizing that Black aesthetics are evolving and contested.

Pierrot-Language of Blackness

The notion that the term ‘Black’ is unstable and produced through language, history, and power, reflecting changing meanings across time and place.

nègre

A term in French colonial history that describes Blackness not just in terms of skin color but in relation to property and hierarchy.

Wekker-Diaspora

The perspective that Black identity is relational, influenced by colonialism and migration, rather than being a fixed racial category.

What Should Black Art Do?

W.E.B. Du Bois's assertion that art serves as propaganda, must uplift, and inherently pursues political ends.

Aaron Douglas

An artist known for his distinct visual language with silhouetted figures and a limited palette, conveying themes of Black identity and culture.

Edmonia Lewis

An artist who negotiates 'classical Blackness' through her works, highlighting the complexities of Black identity in art.

James Van Der Zee

A photographer renowned for constructing images of Black identity, respectability, and modernity in the early 20th century.

Kara Walker

An artist known for silhouette installations that depict the violence of slavery, using satire to engage with historical narratives.

Simone Leigh

An artist whose sculpture incorporates African forms and themes of care, identity, and history, exemplifying Black study as an art historical method.

Duncanson

A landscape painter who addresses themes of freedom within 19th-century art, challenging conventions associated with American landscape painting.

Alain Locke

A philosopher who argues that African ancestral arts influence modern art and provide a legitimate foundation for Black artistic expression.