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#WinoldReiss
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Posts tagged #WinoldReiss
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German-born American artist Fritz Winold Reiss studied art at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts and the School of Applied Arts in Munich. Drawn to the United States because of its ethnic diversity, Reiss emigrated from Germany in 1913. The artist played an important role in the construction of the African American image in the 1920s, and his portrayals of Black Americans who lived in Harlem were at odds with the stereotyped caricatures that were still prevalent in the U.S. In 1925, African-American writer and philosopher Alain Locke asked Reiss to illustrate a special issue of Survey Graphic magazine devoted to the Harlem Renaissance in New York City entitled “Harlem: Mecca of the New Negro.” For this project, Reiss met and chose his models from a cross-section of the African American community: laborers, singers, ministers, sociologists, and children, including the girl with dark brown skin in this portrait. A designer at heart, Reiss balances the skilful rendering of the sitter's individuality with an indication of the young woman's cultural type. In this instance, the girl's dramatic, “Egyptian style” hair references the richness of her African heritage. Her face is a focal point, exhibiting a serious, perhaps slightly pensive expression. She has dark eyes, a straight nose, and her mouth is set in a neutral, almost slightly downturned line. Her posture is upright and still. The beautiful young woman wears a simple, cream-colored, short-sleeved blouse. The sleeves are edged with delicate white lace. Locke believed in the importance of using art to construct new cultural identities for Black people in the United States, writing in his book The New Negro: "Art must discover and reveal the beauty which prejudice and caricature have overlaid." While not invented by Locke, the term “New Negro” attempted to encapsulate the African-American search for self-identity and self-visualization during this era.
"Harlem Girl, I" by Fritz Winold Reiss (German American) - Pencil, charcoal, and pastels on heavy illustration board / c. 1925 - Museum of Art and Archaeology (Columbia, Missouri) #WomenInArt #art #FritzWinoldReiss #WinoldReiss #Reiss #artText #PortraitofaGirl #1920s #MuseumofArtandArchaeology
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German-born American artist and graphic designer Winold Reiss made numerous portraits of Harlem residents in the 1920s, including Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Paul Robeson, Alain Locke, and other well-known cultural figures. But, he also painted anonymous sitters and created composite portraits such as “The Librarian.” The image was reproduced as part of the series “Four Portraits of Negro Women” in the landmark March 1925 issue of “Survey Graphic,” titled “Harlem, Mecca of the New Negro”—an important publication of the “Harlem Renaissance” or “New Negro Renaissance.” The portraits precede educator Elise Johnson McDougald’s article “The Double Task: The Struggle of Negro Women for Sex and Race Emancipation.” During this era, Black women librarians were pioneers in their work and fought hard to bring literacy and information access to their communities. They were also inspiring speakers and writers. Despite making up only a small fraction of the profession, Black librarians were proud of their work and outspoken in their advocacy for their communities. The Chicago Public Library (CPL) system's first African American librarian (assigned February 26, 1924)Vivian G. Harsh once said, “If we as Negroes knew the full truth about what we, as a race, have endured and overcome just to stay alive with dignity, our respect and hunger for education would triple overnight.” Reiss depicts a mature, elegant African American woman wearing a black hat adorned with a large white ribbon. Over a yellow shirt, she has on a white fur coat with a distinctive striped cuff detail on the sleeves. A black cord is draped around her neck. She is holding a large book in her left hand. The woman's expression is neutral with a forward gaze, suggesting confidence and composure. The portrait conveys a sense of dignity and poise with an air of sophistication and elegance, reflective of a bygone era. It's a portrait that suggests a story, but leaves the specifics open to interpretation.
“The Librarian” by Winold Reiss (German-American) Pastel and tempera on Whatman board / 1925 - Morgan Library & Museum (New York) #WomenInArt #ArtText #art #WinoldReiss #Reiss #MorganLibrary&Museum #TheMorgan #womensart #portraitofawoman #librarian #artoftheday #AmericanArt #HarlemRenaissance #1920s
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An unidentified mature African American actress is a woman of gravitas thanks to this masterful portrait by Harlem Renaissance era artist Winold Reiss who immigrated from Germany at the age of 27 in 1913. He became famous for more than 250 works depicting Native Americans, but Reiss was known to paint all people with dignity. We see that mindset clearly in this painting that rivals photography for its realism and documentary grit. Reiss’ portrait depicts a middle-aged Black woman with dark hair styled in a short, wavy bob that frames her deep brown face and slightly pensive, yet focused expression. Her eyes are dark and expressive, her nose is broad, and her mouth is closed in a neutral, almost serious manner as if she is prepared to say something of importance. She is wearing a dark-colored cardigan with subtle pink and darker stripes at the cuffs and collar. Underneath, she wears an off-white, loosely fitted blouse with some faint patterned embroidery near the neckline. A significant element of the attire is a long, light beige scarf with thin, dark stripes; it's draped loosely around her neck and shoulders. The scarf has a somewhat textured appearance in the artwork. She also wears a pendant necklace featuring a heart-shaped charm. Dangling, light-blue earrings are visible in her ears while a pair of eyeglasses rests on a surface near her hand. Reiss was a painter, sculptor, and graphic designer who was always attracted to differences. He spent time at the Blackfeet Reservation, in Montana, in 1920, and made some remarkable drawings of the tribe. After that, he illustrated the historic anthology “The New Negro” in 1925, edited by philosopher Alaine Locke. Reiss’s forceful graphic sense highlights his psychological acuity. He’s drawn to his subjects not by their race but by their grounded, lyrical presence leading him to often pose his sitters against light-colored backgrounds to better to see their faces and minds at work.
The Actress by Winold Reiss (American, born in Germany) - Pastel on illustration board / 1925 - Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York) #womeninart #art #portrait #WinoldReiss #MET #pastelart #reiss #womensart #portraitofawoman #themet #actress #AfricanAmericanWoman #fineart #pastels #artwork #dignity
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#HarlemRenaissance portraits by #WinoldReiss. In 1924, Reiss was commissioned to make portraits of major figures of the Harlem Renaissance for a special issue of Survey Graphic, a magazine that focused on sociological and political issues. commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?...
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