Archibald Motley was a prominent African American artist and painter who was born in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1891. He is best known for his vibrant, colorful paintings that depicted the African American experience in the United States, particularly in the urban areas of Chicago and New York City.
Motley grew up in a middle-class family and was exposed to art at an early age. His mother was an accomplished pianist and his father was a successful businessman. Motley attended Tuskegee University in Alabama, where he studied art and was heavily influenced by the works of European painters such as Henri Matisse and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
After graduating from Tuskegee, Motley moved to Chicago, where he became active in the city's vibrant art scene. He was a member of the Chicago No-Jury Society of Artists, which was a group of artists who believed in the importance of exhibiting their work without the interference of jury committees. Motley's work was exhibited at several galleries in Chicago, including the Art Institute of Chicago.
Motley's paintings were known for their vibrant colors and bold brushstrokes. He often depicted African American life in the urban areas of Chicago and New York City, focusing on themes such as jazz, nightlife, and everyday life in the city. His most famous painting, "Jazz Band," depicts a group of African American musicians performing in a jazz club.
Motley was also interested in exploring the cultural and social issues facing African Americans in the early 20th century. He was particularly concerned with the impact of segregation and racism on African American communities. In his paintings, Motley often depicted the challenges and struggles faced by African Americans as they fought for their rights and equality.
Motley's work was highly influential and he is considered one of the pioneers of African American art. His paintings are now in the collections of several major museums, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
Motley died in 1981, but his legacy as a pioneering African American artist lives on. His vibrant, colorful paintings continue to inspire and influence artists around the world, and his contributions to the art world will be remembered for generations to come.
Archibald Motley Biography
Archibald Motley by Dr. The same mysterious illumination permeates each piece, and the tent in the left background is the exact position of the wooden hut in Africa. In The Crisis, Carl Van Vechten wrote, "What are negroes when they are continually painted at their worst and judged by the public as they are painted. The conductor was in the back and he yelled, "Come back here you so-and-so" using very vile language, "you come back here. Nightlife During this period, Motley developed a reusable and recognizable language in his artwork, which included contrasting light and dark colors, skewed perspectives, strong patterns and the dominance of a single hue. © Valerie Gerrard Browne. These heightened tensions convinced Motley that he should use his art to influence perceptions of African Americans in a positive manner.
Archibald J. Motley Jr., Portrait of My Grandmother, 1922
The article emphasized instead the importance of formal visual concerns over theoretical ideas--especially composition or arrangements of the elements in visual art or design his later work utilized compositional devices taken from Cubism and other Modernist tendencies, yet always mitigated by his academic training. Motley's paintings grapple with, sometimes subtly, sometimes overtly, the issues of racial injustice and stereotypes that plague America. There's a rough quality to this. IMAGE: Cover of INDYweek, February 12, 2014. Motley's portraits and genre scenes from his previous decades of work were never frivolous or superficial, but as critic Holland Cotter points out, "his work ends in profound political anger and in unambiguous identification with African-American history. In Nightlife, the club patrons appear to have forgotten racism and are making the most of life by having a pleasurable night out listening and dancing to jazz music. Motley does not shy away from folklore fantasies; he addresses slavery and racism head on.
Archibald John Motley Jr.
Edith died in December 1948 of heart failure. His family moved to Chicago, where his father worked as a In 1924, Motley married his high school sweetheart, Edith Granzo, the daughter of German immigrants who disowned her when she married Motley. Motley was also distinguished from many of his contemporaries and successors, including Jacob Lawrence, by the rendering of his fascination with shades of skin color. Stephenand Sheila Jackson Hardy. I never do any pure abstractions, as it seems there is so very much to see; and I find myself going on until I have carried my works far from an abstraction, although I have a keen appreciation of the abstract in art.
