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Complete Jacob Lawrence

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Jacob Lawrence, who died a year ago at age 82, was one of the great American artists of the 20th century -- or any century for that matter. I had the privilege recently of viewing "The Art and Life of Jacob Lawrence" at the Phillips Collection in Washington, DC, and was extremely impressed. If you can't make it to the Phillips Collection, this book is the next best thing, with more than 200 full color reproductions of Lawrence's work.

And what a powerful body of work it is, mainly -- but not only -- on the African-American experience. Themes include: slavery; escape via the Underground Railroad; heros and heroines like Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman (plus Haitian revolutionary Toussaint L'Ouverture); black migration to the North; continued persecution (lynchings, Jim Crow) well into the 20th century; the Harlem Renaissance; and more. Lawrence's style is simple (but NOT simplistic!), urgent, and direct, using inexpensive materials (cheap store-bought poster paints on hardboard -- whatever Lawrence could afford), which give new meaning to the expression, "less is more!" You get the feeling in looking at these paintings that Lawrence HAD to paint, to bear witness, and to let the world know the situation of his people.

"Over the Line" is a valuable book for many reasons. For one thing, my understanding is that these paintings, sketches, etc. have never before been published in color, or at all, in any other books on Lawrence. "Over the Line" also give you information on Lawrence's life, which was very interesting in its own right. Finally, these painting are simply a joy to look at, over and over, which this book will allow you to do. I strongly recommend that you get a hold of it!

Jacob Lawrence spent his fascinating, fruitful life building
an enormous contribution to the world of art and this two-volume
set captures nearly every aspect of it in an absolutely beautiful
fashion... owning this set is an honor. Open either volume ANYWHERE
and it becomes immediately clear that the authors and publisher have
done their work well. To have us understand at the outset that
the artist operated far beyond the scope of the ordinary and into a
full grasp of all sorts of levels of abstraction is quite an
accomplishment in and of itself. These books do it. To be able to see
all the known paintings, drawings and sketches is great. To also read
about the life of such a brilliant person, the background for his
works, his long and
"without-whom-it-wouldn't-have-been-possible"marriage to his
equally-talented and beautiful wife Gwen, along with the history of the
styles and media pushes the palette into the soul of the reader!

True, this is a large collection of Lawrence's work, however it is very incomplete. In the beginning of Lawrence's career, only 21 years old, he produced the Toussaint L'Ouverture Series. A 41 panel series dedicated to the struggle of enslaved Africans and their victory, which was never more blatantly successful than that of Haiti under the slave-born revolutionary known as Toussaint L'Ouverture. In 1938, when this series was completed it was so monumental for the Pan-African American experience, yet this book refuses to acknowledge it.

First, there is only one print, and one that is subtle and not graphic (such as black soldiers defeating whites which was a major theme of the series). It is an insult to the origin of Lawrence's genius and his legacy, especially in regards to pre-Civil Rights African America:which was his community, not the pseudo-intermingled America of today that is now trying to claim him as an "American" artist, taking away his true existence as an African American artist, not American, especially during an era when his people were so restricted from full citizenship.

Only purchase this book if you want a false story, one that ignores and criticizes (the author had the audacity to ridicule Lawrence for the Toussaint Series because the author claims Lawrence was not knowledgable about the Haitian revolution). Though I think Lawrence was aware, it is irrelevant. As a black man descended from slaves, the revolution was within him, he did not have to read about it. He felt it. The Haitian revolution belongs not to just Haiti, it is a symbol of the enslaved African's struggle against white oppression and the ability to be victorious at it. Even if that is all he knew, it is enough. He did not have to read about a struggle for equality, it was his very existence.

"Lawrence (1917-2000) grew up in Harlem, then worked and studied in many parts of the country and in New York until 1971, when he joined the faculty of the U. of Washington in Seattle. Editors Nesbett and DuBois, both of the Jacob Lawrence Catalogue Raisonn<'e> [sic] Project, bring together eight in-depth essays by distinguished art historians who explore and interpret Lawrence's work and life[,] his brilliant art and his identity as an African American artist. Also included is an essay on the binding media and pigments found in Lawrence's paintings and a chronology of his life and reception. This edition was published in conjunction with a major retrospective organized by The Phillips Collection, Washington D.C. in 2001 (and scheduled to travel to several venues through 2003); a previous edition was published in 2000 (minus 50 pages of information about the exhibition) as part of a two-volume set titled [?]. The essays are illustrated with about 140 color reproductions, and the catalogue section features small reproductions of works in the exhibition."--Booknews