Leo Martínez
The Migration Series by Jacob Lawrence is a group of sixty tempera paintings on 18 × 12″ composite board. The series depicts the Great Migration of African Americans from the rural South to the urban North that began in the 1910s. The series was completed in 1941 and is considered Jacob Lawrence's most famous piece.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Artist | Jacob Lawrence |
| Number of Paintings | 60 |
| Year of Completion | 1940-41 |
| Age of Artist at Completion | 23 |
| Dimensions | 12 x 18 inches |
| Medium | Tempera paint |
| Support | Composite board |
| Current Location | MoMA, New York; The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C. |
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What You'll Learn
The Migration Series has 60 panels
The Migration Series by Jacob Lawrence consists of 60 panels, each measuring 12 x 18 inches. The series depicts the Great Migration of African Americans from the rural South to the urban North, which began during World War I and continued until the 1970s. This migration, which involved around 6 million people, reshaped the cultural and social landscape of America.
Lawrence created the series between 1940 and 1941 when he was just 23 years old. He was inspired by his own family's migration story and his experiences among southern migrants in the North. Lawrence's unique approach to the series involved painting all 60 panels simultaneously, ensuring a unified colour palette and visual style across the entire work. This ambitious technique had never been attempted before and required meticulous planning and imagination.
Each panel in The Migration Series tells a part of the migration story through tempera painting techniques and narrative captions. Lawrence drew inspiration from comic books and Mexican muralism, as well as West African storytelling traditions, to create a powerful and universal narrative. The series begins and ends with images of a train station, with panels in between depicting various stages of the journey, from reading letters from relatives in the North to the crowded conditions of labour camps and urban slums.
The Migration Series is considered Jacob Lawrence's most famous work and is recognised for its well-researched and thoughtful portrayal of the Black narrative. The series is currently exhibited across two locations: the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York and The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. This split occurred in 1942, with the even and odd panels being separated.
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They were painted by Jacob Lawrence
The Migration Series, originally titled The Migration of the Negro, is a group of paintings by African-American painter Jacob Lawrence. The series depicts the migration of African Americans to the northern United States from the South that began in the 1910s. It was published in 1941 and funded by the Julius Rosenwald Fund.
Lawrence painted the series in 1940-41 when he was just 23 years old. He created the sixty paintings with the help of funding from a fellowship through the Julius Rosenwald Fund, allowing him to afford a studio to work on the series in a climate-controlled space. Lawrence worked on all the paintings simultaneously, ensuring colour uniformity across the panels. He also wrote sentence-long captions for each of the sixty paintings, explaining aspects of the event.
The Migration Series is Lawrence's most famous piece and has been praised for being well-researched and doing justice to the Black narrative. It is a spectacular work, holding sixty 12 x 18 inch panels worth of narrative that tells history in an understandable way. The series begins and ends with images of a train station, simulating a train journey with clear stopping points and pauses along the way. The panels depict the dire state of Black life in the South, with poor wages, economic hardship, and a rigged justice system.
Lawrence was inspired by comic books and Mexican muralism of the 1920s-1940s, and The Migration Series showcases techniques from both. He used tempera painting techniques, applying a narrative like those found in comic books at the time, telling stories through the movement of figures. The sixty panels are shared between MoMA in New York and The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C.
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The series depicts the Great Migration of African Americans
The Migration Series, originally titled The Migration of the Negro, is a group of paintings by African-American painter Jacob Lawrence. The series depicts the Great Migration of African Americans, a shift that reshaped America forever. The movement saw the migration of over a million African Americans from the rural South to the industrial North following the outbreak of World War I. The series portrays the dire state of Black life in the South, with poor wages, economic hardship due to the boll weevil, and a justice system rigged against them.
The series begins and ends with images of a train station, simulating a train journey with clear stopping points and pauses along the way. The panels depict sequences of adversity and despair, such as the crowded, squalid conditions of northern labor camps and urban slums. These are contrasted with images of hope and anticipation, such as reading letters from relatives who had already moved North and baggage piled high on a train platform as people of all ages await a new life.
Lawrence's personal ties to the Great Migration influenced his work. Having moved to Harlem at the age of thirteen, he would have been familiar with the migration from his own family members. Lawrence's mother was born in Virginia, and his father in South Carolina. Before painting the series, Lawrence researched the subject and wrote captions to accompany each panel. He saw the panels as one unit, painting all sixty simultaneously, colour by colour, to ensure their overall visual unity.
The Migration Series has been praised for its well-thought-out and researched narrative, doing justice to the Black narrative. Lawrence's most famous piece, it has been displayed in both the Philips Collection and the Museum of Modern Art since 1941.
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It was inspired by Lawrence's personal experience
The Great Migration Series by Jacob Lawrence is a powerful and iconic set of paintings that chronicles the historical migration of African Americans from the rural South to the urban North during the early 20th century. This period, known as the Great Migration, had a profound impact on the social, cultural, and economic landscape of the United States. Lawrence's personal experience during this time served as the inspiration behind this remarkable series of paintings.
Born in 1917 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Jacob Lawrence and his family moved to the predominantly black community of Harlem in New York City in 1930. This move coincided with the early stages of the Great Migration, which began around 1916 and continued until 1970, seeing millions of African Americans leave the South in search of better economic opportunities and freedom from the oppressive Jim Crow laws and racial violence. Lawrence's family was part of this massive demographic shift, and the artist himself witnessed and experienced the challenges and hopes of this transformative period.
The Great Migration Series is comprised of 60 paintings, each measuring 12 by 14 inches. This concise and consistent format was chosen by Lawrence to emphasize the interconnectedness of the narrative and to create a sense of unity and flow across the entire series. Each painting is like a snapshot or a panel in a comic book, capturing a specific moment or theme related to the migration experience.
Lawrence began work on the series in 1940, when he was just 23 years old, and it was first exhibited in 1941 at the Downtown Gallery in New York City. The paintings were accompanied by concise captions that provided context and narrative details, reflecting Lawrence's interest in history and storytelling. Through these captions and the powerful visual language of his paintings, Lawrence conveyed the struggles, aspirations, and resilience of the African American community during this pivotal era.
The artist's personal journey and the stories of those around him undoubtedly influenced the themes and emotions depicted in the series. For example, Panel 3, titled "And the migrants kept coming," shows a crowd of people walking with their belongings, their faces filled with determination and hope. This sense of collective movement and shared purpose reflects Lawrence's own experience of migrating with his family and settling in Harlem, where he witnessed the constant influx of new migrants shaping the cultural landscape of the community.
Another painting, Panel 13, titled "There were those who were dissatisfied and caused riots," depicts a violent scene of protest and police presence. This may have been influenced by Lawrence's personal encounters with racial discrimination and the growing civil rights movement of the time. The series also includes scenes of everyday life, such as Panel 23, "They lived in all sections of the city," which shows the diverse neighborhoods and living conditions experienced by the migrants.
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The series is split between MoMA and The Phillips Collection
The Migration Series, painted by Jacob Lawrence, is a collection of sixty tempera paintings, each measuring 12 x 18 inches. The series depicts the Great Migration of African Americans from the rural South to the urban North, which began during World War I and continued until the 1970s. The paintings tell a story of struggle, hope, and the pursuit of a better life.
The Migration Series is considered Jacob Lawrence's most famous work and has been exhibited since 1941. The series is split between two renowned art institutions: The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York and The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. This division of the series occurred in 1942, a year after the completion of the paintings.
MoMA, also known as the Museum of Modern Art, is one of the most prestigious museums in the world, located in the heart of New York City. It has a vast collection of modern and contemporary art, including significant works from the 19th century to the present day. MoMA has played a crucial role in promoting and preserving modern art, influencing art history, and shaping cultural discourse. The museum attracts visitors from all over the world, offering a unique artistic experience and a glimpse into the evolution of modern artistic expressions.
The Phillips Collection, on the other hand, is a renowned museum located in Washington, D.C. Founded by Duncan Phillips in 1921, it was the first museum of modern art in the United States. The collection is known for its intimate and innovative approach to displaying art, often arranging works in a way that encourages dialogue and engagement. The museum houses a diverse range of artworks, including pieces by renowned artists such as Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Vincent van Gogh, and Pablo Picasso. The Phillips Collection has a rich history of supporting and showcasing both established and emerging artists, fostering a deep appreciation for modern and contemporary art.
The decision to split The Migration Series between these two esteemed institutions was made by Alfred H. Barr, Jr., the Founding Director of MoMA, and Duncan Phillips, the founder of The Phillips Collection. This arrangement ensures that the paintings can be appreciated by a wide audience and contributes to the cultural significance of both museums. The Migration Series has been exhibited at both locations for many years, allowing visitors to engage with and reflect on this powerful narrative of human migration and perseverance.
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Frequently asked questions
There are 60 paintings in the Great Migration series.
The Great Migration series was painted by Jacob Lawrence.
The Great Migration series was painted in 1940-41.
The 60 panels of the Great Migration series are shared between MoMA in New York and The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C.
The Great Migration series depicts the migration of African Americans to the northern United States from the South that began in the 1910s.
