Aaron Douglas Oil Painting Reproductions

Who is Aaron Douglas?

Aaron Douglas is a 20th-century African-American artist.  He was born in Kansas in 1899 and died in Nashville in 1979. Today African American oil paintings by the artist are highly prized. Douglas was educated in Topeka, gaining an Arts Degree from the University of Nebraska. A move to Michigan enabled further studies at the Detroit Art Museum. However, his real ambition was to live and study in Paris with some of the great artists of the day. In 1927 Aaron Douglas moved to Harlem, painting and illustrating periodicals to highlight African-American injustices.

In his later years, Douglas founded the Art Department at Fisk University in Nashville.

Why is Aaron Douglas Famous? 

Douglas is one of several famous African-American artists famous for his oil paintings and also for his murals.  Most of his art focuses on race, segregation, and black social issues of the time. As an early 20th Century artist, Douglas is a preeminent African American art movement leader.  Aaron Douglas paintings include Songs of the Towers, painted in 1934.  The painting is a section from a four-part mural collection celebrating the rise of the Harlem Renaissance art movement.  Let My People Go is a powerful biblical oil painting depicting Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt.  Held by The Metropolitan Museum it represents one of Aaron Douglas' better-known works of art.

Why is Aaron Douglas important to the Harlem Renaissance?

As a founder of the Harlem Renaissance art movement, his paintings and teachings inspired a new generation of young African Americans to become involved in the arts. Douglas taught extensively in America, spreading the word and encouraging other black art students in their careers.

Famous Aaron Douglas Paintings?

The artist is best known for his silhouette paintings, of which Aspiration 1936, held by the de Young Museum in San Francisco, is his most famous. Discover joyful oil painting reproductions of African American art and the Harlem Renaissance Art Movement.

Replica paintings by Henry Ossawa Tanner are also featured in our extensive catalog. Tanner was a significant influence on Douglas' career and his art.