AUGUSTA SAVAGE (the woman who inspired a generation of black artists) - the Harlem Renaissance
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- čas přidán 11. 09. 2024
- AUGUSTA SAVAGE (the woman who inspired a generation of black artists) - the Harlem Renaissance
THIS VIDEO IS FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY
This is the second video in our women artist series and we’re looking at Augusta Savage, who was a sculptor.
She was the first African American woman to open her own art gallery in the US - and she came up against huge adversity - most of her work has been destroyed, only 12 pieces are left, and she faced a lot of racism and poverty in her lifetime.
Her art career started when, as a child, she began making small animals out of red clay as a child. Her father, who was a strict Methodist minister, was strongly against his daughter’s interest in art. She once said “My father licked me four or five times a week, he nearly whipped all the art out of me” and that was because he thought her sculptures were sinful, and they were like creating false idols to worship - in the Bible it warns against worshiping graven images.
She remembered her early love of art, saying "From the time I can first recall the rain falling on the red clay in Florida. I wanted to make things. When my brothers and sisters were making mud pies, I would be making ducks and chickens with the mud."
Savage beat 142 men to get into college. She had wanted to learn at the School of American Sculpture with Solon Borglum but she couldn’t because she was extremely poor and couldn’t afford the tuition. Her only option was to go to a scholarship-based school so Borglum wrote her a letter of recommendation and that, along with a bust of a Harlem minister that she made overnight, sent her to the top of the waiting list for the Cooper Union.
Savage won a scholarship to study at a summer school at the Fontainebleau School of Fine Arts in France in 1923. But the French government retracted their offer after finding out she was black - apparently two Alabama winners of the scholarship had refused to travel or share a room with a black woman.
She wrote an open letter to the New York World paper, writing “How am I to compete with other American artists if I am not given the same opportunity?” The ban was upheld, but one committee member who supported her was the sculptor Hermon MacNeil, who was then president of the National Sculpture Society. He invited Savage to study privately with him that summer, at his studio on Long Island.
The height of Savage's career came when she was asked to create a large sculpture for New York’s World Fair in 1939. Savage was the only black woman who exhibited at the World Fair and there were only 4 women overall.
Savage created a work for the exhibition called The Harp - it featured twelve black singers rising up from the palm of God, which made the shape of a harp and it was considered one of the main attractions at the fair. The sculpture symbolised the musical contributions of African Americans, through black spirituals and hymns. The main source of inspiration was the poem Lift Every Voice and Sing by James Weldon Johnson, a song which is often called the Black National Anthem because it’s known for being a strong voice, calling for liberation for African-American people. The last line of the song is “Let us march on till victory is won”. The harp is also a piece about equality and how black voices are worthy of being heard - they are being physically lifted up by the hand of God.
Savage’s legacy has lived on through the art of her students, even though she’s still relatively unknown - her students included Jacob Lawrence, Charles Alston and Gwendolyn Knight.
Thanks very much for watching - I hope you enjoyed the video!
LINKS
Watch Augusta Savage sculpt - • Augusta Savage: Afric...
Hear Savage's pupil Jacob Lawrence talk about her - lawrencemigrat...
GEORGINA'S LINKS
Twitter - / georginadavies_
Instagram - www.instagram....
BBC Scotland need to give you a show 👏🏼
Thanks very much! One day perhaps 🤣
Thank you for this! What a tragic, but inspiring story. This will never leave me.
I know, I had to leave so much out as well! I'd recommend watching the Jacob Lawrence link in the description box (he's got a really nice anecdote about her)
what an astounding, brilliant artist she was. Staggering to think her incredible sculpture for the world's fair was destroyed. What a loss. Thankyou for bringing her to our attention.
Yes, definitely! She was absolutely amazing and inspired a generation of artists, while working hard herself. Such a shame she lived in a time with rampant racism and discrimination.
Thank you for posting this. AMAZING🙌🏾💫💜🕊
Thank you I did not know of Augusta Savage before as in so many the ignorance of racist hateful bigoted people is a dark place in need of light. The world is a better place for having Augusta just wish her work had survived
Love your channel. Augusta Savage was so caring to the people she modeled. In her sculpture, Realization, I have an uncomfortable feeling to offer them clothes. I feel their cold stared upon nakedness. She suffered terrible abuse her entire life. Even her major work, The Harp, was simply bulldozed.
Thank you, yes such an incredible woman who went largely unrecognised. I think she achieved a remarkable amount considering all the prejudice and racism she faced.
Thank you for sharing our history, I never even heard of Augusta Savage.
thank you for touching on the topic of racism. much of the research I've done fails to mention that.
Ahh great you enjoyed it! I really loved making this video - I found Augusta Savage really fascinating and it's the racism was a huge part of her experience.
Augusta Savage's "Diving Boy" is at the Cummer Museum in Jacksonville. I keep hoping other works by Savage will appear.
Lots of love, and thank u for the great video!
Subbed. Enjoyed this. Thank you for this beautifully crafted
The world was incredibly lucky to have her, such a strong personality and talented sculptor!
Back in my communicating science course, I did a whole project based on that world fair! So neat to see it here
Amazing! Which parts of the fair were you looking at?
@@arthistorygirl2327 My focus was mostly on the collaborations and media used to communicate ideas about the future of automotives, and if those ideas helped sculpt the actual future
It was so cool to see artists, scientists, and engineers working together to make it happen!
@@CurtisWeaverCo aww that's so interesting! Yeah I love it with history interlinks like that
This is an amazing piece of hidden history
Hello, Art History Girl in Glascow. I'd like to suggest Suzanne Valadon as a potential subject. Over the years, I've seen many more works by her appear on the web than I ever dreamed existed. You might also look at friendship, how it sustained some expatriate women artists like Leonora Carrington and Remedios Varo. Niki de Saint Phalle, art in public places! in certain liberated countries. Elizabeth Catlett was also an ex-pat for years in Mexico. What a feeling for her materials!
Your videos are terrific!
Rather sad commentary on Americans reluctance to acknowledge the creativity and courage of this remarkable black woman Augusta savage and her tragic struggle to simply share her vision with her fellow human beings.
It took a Young English woman to create this humble production and inform the world and make
Known the name and face of this brave and a talented woman whose pivotal role
And brilliant energy sparked
A light that would reveal to the world the inestimable contribution that Black people so generously contributed in every facet of the world of art, visual, musical, theatrical, Literary !
Talent that has in Riched not only the American culture but the culture of the human race in the most profound and inspiring And generous Fashion!
May we all find the spiritual generosity to finally acknowledge and celebrate Augusta savages courageous struggle and the immeasurable wealth of creative energy that black
Culture has shared with
The World!!!
Thank you!
I proudly wear a tee shirt of her art
How about Louise Bourgeois, sometime?
Yes, I think she'd be great! I'll definitely do Kara Walker soon too
@@arthistorygirl2327 Thank you! I'd almost like to see Kara Walker first!