T National
FMiir kiwi surnimiNt
October- November 1975
Vol. IV, No. 5
L. H. Stanton,
Editor and Publisher
Clarence L. Holte
Editorial Consultant
CONTENTS
PAGE
VISUAL CREATIVITY by
AFRO-AMERICANS:
A CRITICAL OVERVIEW
by Henri Ghent 4
BLACK LITERATURE in the
UNITED STATES:
An Historical-Critical Overview
by Saunders Redding 9
NATIONAL SCENE is published monthly by
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tising correspondence to that office. Manu
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no responsibility for return of unsolicited
manuscripts or photos.
COVER: Ilenjumin one's "BLACK FACE find AfiM
UNIT" VJ72) refreshingly introduces the beauty 0
African form nnd design to make emphatic his posi
tive feelings rthout the culture of block people.
This young Pntersnn. New Jersey-horn nrtist conrly
demonstrates the art of adhering to universal esthetic
standards without sacrificing, in, any way, the (Mimic
content of his creation. Mr. Jones holds a master's
degree in Art from New York University ; did re
search in Puns on traditional African art, and on
native West African architecture in Senegal. Ghana,
Upper Votn, Nigeria, Mali, and Togo, with course
work at the University of Science and Technology.
Kumrisi, Ghana. His works hove been shown in more
than twenty exhibitions; published in many maga
zines, newspapers nnd books; nnd are in several col
lections. He received a 1974-75 grant from the Na
tional Endowment for Artists nnd is on ort instructor
nt Jersey City State College, Jersey City, New Jersey.
VISUAL CREATIVITY BY AFRO-AMERICANS:
A CRITICAL OVERVIEW
Contrary to the uncritical myth that the Afro
American is creatively bankrupt, significant con
tributions have been made by the "Invisible
American" to the growing art heritage of this
country. Such myths have served, among other
things, to malign the black man in America
most especially if his talents and inspirations dic
tate the pursuit of a career in the field of fine
arts. A brief historical overview will reveal that
the black American has freely participated in, as
well as contributed qualitatively to, the American
art scene since first setting foot on the shore of
his adopted homeland.
In an effort to offset the popular notion that
American slaves merely picked cotton from sun
rise to sunset or served as house menials, it must
be established that many were found to be very
valuable because of their skill in the manual arts.
Unquestionably, many slaves' penchant for mak
ing wrought iron, for example, reflected their prior
acquaintance with, and mastery of, this sophisti
cated skill. The small iron utensils made by
American slaves probably were not at all unlike
those cooking vessels created by African artisans.
Several Southern states (e.g., Alabama, Missis
sippi, Georgia and Louisiana) provide excellent
examples of the slaves' skill in wrought iron as
it had been applied to a most decorative and
practical end. The stately plantation homes of the
slave-masters typically display ornate iron balus
trades that offered the desired support in addition
to a decidedly elegant decorative effect. Black
craftsmen were equally ingenious in their dex
terity with wood and textiles skills obviously
inherited from their gifted ancestors. One would
naturally assume, therefore, that art historians in
particular -as well as art connoisseurs would
curiously look to Afro-American artists, as direct
descendants of this African heritage, for an ex
tension of this vitality in art.
However, in trying to discover a link between
ancient African art and art created by Afro
Americans, cine should not expect these artists to
repeat traditional African art forms simply be
cause of their ancestral bond. The very lack of
contact with Mother Africa together with cen
turies of forced acculturation has indeed
served to weaken the black American's knowl
edge of and freedom to exercise those skills req
uisite to creative continuity of traditional art.
What should be discerned is the marriage of this
African spirit and a temperament that has been
shaped out of the blacks' "unique" experience in
America.
Myth would also have us believe that blacks
are of a uni-life style, while they are in fact
very much a diverse people. A careful examina
tion of blacks representing various socio-economic,
educational and political strata will reveal
by
HENRI GHENT
that this diversity of life style does not alter the
basic existence of their common consciousness.
Black artists are as diverse as the black populace
in general. Their creativity clearly reflects the
difference in the conditions and circumstances
out of which it grew. (One divergent aspect of
black creativity is the current black "nationalist"
art movement which will be herein discussed).
Well before the Civil War (1861-1865), America
shared along with other nations --a deep con
cern for industrialization; blacks with distinct
manual skills found ready employment and, by
virtue of such, they added immeasurably to the
New World's industrial revolution.
Investigations also reveal that prior to the
Civil War, there were slaves as well as free
blacks who seriously pursued the art of paint
ing and sculpture, the first known black painter
being Scipio Morehead (ca. 1773). After the rati
fication of the Thirteenth Amendment to the
Constitution - abolishing slavery in America in
1865 the number of blacks endeavoring to
earn their livelihood from art increased markedly.
The mid-1 9th century, however, was not a joy
ous time for artists in America -- whatever their
race or color the primary reason being the na
tional preoccupation with economic concerns.
This, naturally, left little time or energy to be
devoted to the development and nurture of an
artistic elite. America's foremost concerns for
industrialization and westward expansion greatly
diminished existing interest in the sustenance of
artistic pursuits. As a consequence, all artists
black and white alike suffered neglect; na
turally, the black artist suffered more. Despite all,
the black artist maintained his integrity and per
sisted in painting and sculpture in the accepted
modes of the period. The sampling of representa
tive Afro-American artists that will be discussed
or mentioned here will serve to illustrate that:
(1) black artists worked hard to achieve technical
mastery of media; (2) were vulnerable to popular
stylistic influences; and (3) they achieved varying
degrees of success - exactly like their white
American counterparts.
Robert S. Duncanson (1817-1872) and Edward
M. Bannister (1828-1901) were two Afro-American
landscape painters who enjoyed impressive
continued on page 4
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Duncanson's "Blue Hole, Flood Waters, Miami River"
TO OUR READERS,
THANKS . . .
We are appreciative indeed for the great num
ber of comments received in praise of the four
part series, The Global Presence of Blacks and
Its Impact on Culture, which was completed in
the last issue. The comments confirm the belief
that readers are anxious to identify our scholars
and are delighted to see that they are willing to
share their knowledge beyond classrooms and
scholarly journals circulated among academicians.
At this stage of developing National Scene, we
shall continue to rely upon these untapped
sources for papers on a variety of subjects which
will be programmed.
It is obvious that the twelve-page size of our
publication, dictated by economics, is insufficient
to serve our purposes. Strenuous efforts there
fore are being made to remedy this problem so
that a minimum of sixteen pages, which will per
mit use of larger print, may be produced on a
regular monthly frequency.
In this issue, the papers that were intended to
be reproduced have been rescheduled in order to
extend the essence of the Global series which
relates so well with the objectives of The 2nd
World and African Festival of Arts and Culture.
The event was to he held in Lagos, Nigeria, No
vember 22nd through December 20th of this year
but postponement became necessary. This de
velopment is regretted of course but it does not
affect our endeavor to provide analytical ap
praisals of Afro-Americans' achievements in the
areas of plastic arts and literature. The informa
tion provided will enable reads to know the ex
tent of the imput which these scholars and artists
will be able to make when the festival is held.
The information will also enhance appreciation of
what the festival is all about so that reports of
what transpired at the event will be better under
stood. There have been too few purposeful interna
tional gatherings of any kind by black people.
As a consequence, we do not know nor under
stand the culture of one another. It is hoped
however that the International Congress of Afri
canists which convened in Ethiopia last year, for
its third assembly, will be able to institute a
program which will bring black people together
often, formally and informally.
The festival, although not under the auspices
of the Congress, will be a most significant event
for participants and spectators. It will be a show
case of exemplary talent synthesizing their Afri
can heritage with modern-day technology to ad
vance the progress of mankind. The festival is
indeed worthy of our moral and financial sup
port, as well as the presence of those who will
be able to attend.
We cannot stress too strongly the need to
broaden the provincial thinking of our welfare in
the United States. Other ethnic groups, notwith
standing their American citizenship and length
of stay in this country, have maintained for years
an allegiance with their mother country and a
working relationship with fellow expatriates in
other countries. The effectiveness of this move
transcends personal interests, for we see all
other countries. The effectiveness of this effort
around us the political clout which unity gener
ates. The subject struck home this past August
when Secretary of State Kissinger, conferring
with members of the Congressional Black Caucus,
admitted that the United States did not have a for
eign policy with regard to Afrjca and asked the
members to devise one for his study.
Implicit in Mr. Kissinger's statement is the fact
that black people are not together and therefore
are inconsequential in matters relating to world
affairs. It is clear that this is a challenge to black
people to join hands in unity, wherever they are.
people, wherever they are, to join hands in unity.