Norman Lewis (1909 - 1979)

from Masterworks of the African Diaspora

Charles Alston (1907 - 1977)

In the 1940s, after the renowned government program Worker's Progress Administration (WPA) ended, Norman Lewis started teaching at the newly built George Washington Carver School in Harlem alongside Elizabeth Catlett and Charles White. During this time, his style also evolved gradually into a more abstract one with the use of calligraphic lines and loose representations.Under this wider recognition, Lewis struggled with his invisibility among white artists. His works received public recognition: Lewis had his one-person debut in 1949 at Willard Gallery; his works were included in the 1951 MoMA exhibition titled Abstract Painting and Sculpture in America; and he won the Popularity Prize at the 1955 Carnegie International Exhibition. He was represented in the US Pavilion at the 1956 Venice Biennale. However, Lewis struggled to be seen as a black artist while recognizing his abstract expressionist identity rather than labeling it with more prevalent black artists’ content.

Title Unknown, dated 1945, emphasizes the Cubist and abstract influences Lewis was beginning to experiment with in his own practice. Employing bright red, pink, orange, green, and blue, Lewis transitioned the colors from right to left with black linear curves generating gestures A captivating work of art, Lewis composed the painting when he was transitioning from social realism to abstraction. While this work remains untitled, it is visually similar to those inspired by jazz music and street scenes, calling on his distinct practice of subtly referencing the outside world in his work. In this painting, the rhythm and flow of jazz are articulated through rich colors, expressive brushwork, and organic forms fit into a thick, lattice-like structural outline..

As a recipient of many public awards and exhibitor of prestigious international exhibitions, Lewis was recognized by art critics alongside other abstract expressionists such as Ad Reinhardt and Mark Tobey. However, at the same time, Lewis struggled with his invisibility among the group; only posthumously has he been recognized as the only African American artist in the Abstract Expressionist movement. Therefore, his own experiences within the larger social community drew him closer to his African American peers; he remained close and co-founded the Spiral Group in 1963 with Romare Bearden, Alston, and Hale Woodruff.

Provenance

Norman Lewis Estate, New York, NY