Good Morning Obots!
This week, we’ll take a look at a few African American visual artists. Today’s artist: John Biggers
John Thomas Biggers (1924–2001) was an African American muralist who came to prominence after the Harlem Renaissance and toward the end of World War II. Dr. Biggers was born in Gastonia, North Carolina and attended the Lincoln Academy, the Hampton Institute, and then Pennsylvania State Universityfrom which he earned a doctorate in 1954.
His works can be found on the campus of Hampton University (formerly Institute), primarily in the campus library.
Dr. Biggers founded the art department at Texas State University for Negroes, now Texas Southern University, in 1949. Biggers received a fellowship from UNESCO, the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, in 1957 allowing him to become one of the first African American artists to visit Africa.
John Biggers studied under Viktor Lowenfeld at Hampton Institute, who significantly influenced Biggers in his artistic development. Biggers later created works which reflected his perspective of the anguish that people have suffered merely because of their race or religious beliefs.
Influences and symbols:
John Biggers had several influences which played prominent roles in his work. From his childhood growing up in North Carolina helping his widowed mother do the washing to support her family came the symbols like the wash pot, the washboard, fire, water and the idea of cleansing and renewal as a prominent theme in his work. Seeing his mother’s determination during those years and later, the personal strength and integrity of his wife, Hazel Hale Biggers, also influenced Dr. Biggers’ portrayal of women as strong and powerful in his work.
changes in his work.
