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Charles Alston was an important african american painter and sculptor during the Harlem Renaissance period.
Charles Alston
African-American Harlem Renaissance Painter and Sculptor, 1907-1977
An African-American painter, Charles Henry Alston lived and worked in New York City. He received his B.A. from Columbia and his M.A. from New York University. He became known for murals depicting the African-American experience.
He began his career while still a student, illustrating covers for jazz musician Duke Ellington and poet Langston Hughes. Influenced by Diego Rivera and others. Alston painted murals throughout Harlem, often incorporating features of African art.
During the Great Depression, he directed the Harlem Art Workshop and was mentor to Jacob Lawrence, among others. Alston was the first African-American instructor at the Arts Students' League (1950-1971) and the Museum of Modern Art (1956). He became a full professor at the City University of New York (CUNY) in 1973.
Alston's artistic style defies simple categorization and definition. His works range from detailed drawings concerned with realism, depth and modeling to extreme abstraction concerned with simplicity, flatness and pure expression.
The diversity of Alston's style reflects influences ranging from Egyptian and Oceanic art to more contemporary artistic styles like Cubism and Abstract Expressionism. However, his figures characteristically maintain a sculpture like quality derived from his earlier studies in African sculpture. His subjects, however, were derived mainly from the experiences of his life and times.
Charles Henry Alston died of cancer on April 27, 1977 . |
