“Aspiration” and “Contemplation”: The Colors and Shapes of Jacob Lawrence

One of the most celebrated African-American artists of the twentieth century, Jacob Lawrence, was born in 1917 in Atlantic City. His parents divorced early in his childhood and he eventually joined his mother in Harlem. He took an immediate interest in art as a child. While attending classes at the Harlem Art Workshop, the sights and sounds of the neighborhood inspired Lawrence’s use of geometric shapes and colors within his works.

Two prints by Lawrence (Aspiration, 1988; Contemplation, 1993) are on display by the Reference workstations on the main floor of the library.

By 1936, Lawrence had an established workplace in Harlem, and increasingly his images portrayed a vibrant community underscored by poverty, crime, and racial tensions. He painted not only the scenes around him, but also past events and people brought to life through oral histories. One particular character that caught Lawrence’s ear and artistic eye was Toussaint L’Ouverture, a Haitian general who rebelled against European forces and was instrumental to the creation of the Republic of Haiti. Lawrence created a series of forty-one paintings depicting scenes from the life of L’Ouverture. One print from this series, Contemplation, hangs near the Reference desk in the law library.

Married to fellow artist, Gwendolyn Knight, both relocated to Seattle in 1971 when Lawrence accepted a position teaching art at the University of Washington. Both Lawrence and Knight were active within the university community and the greater Seattle area, working with civic organizations such as the Urban League, the King County Arts Commission, and the Washington State Arts Commission. Lawrence retired from his teaching post in 1986, and both he and Knight remained in Seattle until his death in June 2000.