Art H 309 A: Jacob Lawrence and American Art

University of Washington, Autumn 2024

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:30-12:20, ART 003

Jacob Lawrence, Builders #1, 1972. Watercolor, gouache, and graphite. St. Louis Art Museum, Eliza McMillan Trust, 93:1972.

This course focuses on the art of Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000), one of the most important artists of the 20th century, and the subject of a special exhibition on view at the Seattle Art Museum during Autumn 2024. It treats Lawrence’s long and prolific career, which began in 1930s Harlem and ended in Seattle in 2000, as a springboard for exploring a broad selection of critical issues, movements, and themes in American art history. Through lectures and discussions, we will closely examine Lawrence’s paintings, drawings, and prints, and situate them in broader social, political, and art historical contexts. Students will gain a deep understanding of Lawrence’s art and its relationship to topics including abstraction and modernism, artistic networks, history, legacy, narrative, race, human rights, and regional experience.