African American Art is a broad term that can be used to describe the visual arts of the African American community. He was influenced by many different cultural traditions, including those in Africa, Europe and the Americas. Traditional art forms include African American basketry, pottery and padded wood carving and painting. Many slaves brought from Africa as skilled artisans. The oldest record of African American artists were really slaves who worked as potters, blacksmiths, carpenters, weavers, basket-makers and silversmiths.

With the passage of the Civil War, it became more acceptable to the African American created artworks displayed in museums, as artists increasingly produced works for this purpose. These works mostly follows the trend of the European tradition of classical and romantic landscapes and portraits. This time, the most popular were: Edward Mitchell Bannister, Henry Ossawa Tanner and Edmonia Lewis. However, within the states of America, African American art was subject to discriminatory restrictions. Without But abroad the artwork of African-Americans were much better received. In Europe, especially in Paris, these artists can express much more freedom in experimentation and education on the techniques that extend beyond traditional Western art. Freedom of expression was more frequent in Paris and Munich and Rome, to a lesser extent.

Perhaps the Harlem Renaissance was one of the most notable movements in African-American art. Concepts of freedom and freedom of ideas that were already widespread in many parts of the world had begun to seep into the artistic communities of the United States during the 1920s. Famous artists in this time period included photographer James Van Der Zee, painter Palmer Hayden, Aaron Douglas, Richmond © Bartha, Archibald Motley, William H. Johnson, Sargent Johnson, Malvin Gray Johnson, and Hale Woodruff.

With the advent of the African American Art and Postmodernism in the mid to late 1980s earlier definitions African-American art is replaced by postmodern concepts of cultural relativity, art-as-performance, critical investigations of art and society through Onea work, and interrogations of identity, geography and history.

For more interesting tidbits on African American issues visit African American a website offering views and resources on issues such as African American hairstyles, African poetry and even about African American art and poetry.

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