Charles Alston (1907 - 1977)
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Charles Alston (1907-1977) was a prominent African-American artist. Prolific during the Harlem Renaissance, Alston displayed a wide variety of artistic talent, producing paintings, illustrations, sculptures, and many famous murals. He was a founding member of the Harlem Artists' Guild.
Alston was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. At a young age, Alston began to learn art from his older brother, Wendell. After moving to New York in 1915, his artistic talent was recognized at Public School 179 where he drew all of the school's posters. His artistic recognition continued at DeWitt Clinton High School where he was the art editor of The Magpie, the school's magazine. Accepted into the National Honor Society for his excellence in school, he nevertheless found time to study drawing and anatomy at the National Academy of Art on the weekend; it was here that Alston first began to work with oils. He gained acceptance to Columbia University, studying fine arts there, and was the recipient of a fellowship to study at Columbia's Teachers College upon completing his undergraduate degree; he graduated with a Master's Degree in 1931. During this period, he began his teaching career, teaching at the Harlem Arts Workshop close to where he lived. He also fostered a career as an illustrator for many prominent magazines such as The New Yorker and Fortune.
In 1938, Alston received a fellowship from the Rosenwald Fund; he used this money to travel to the south, his first time back since his family relocated over two decades earlier. There, he photographed portraits of the lives of various African-Americans, later turning these photographs into a series of portraits. Pleased with his work, the Rosenwald Fund awarded Alston an additional grant in 1940 in order for him to return to the south again and continue his work from 1938. After serving in Arizona during World War II, Alston returned to New York. In 1950, the Metropolitan Museum of Art displayed Painting, later purchasing it. His first solo exhibition followed in 1953 at the John Heller Gallery. In 1956, he took a job as the first African-American teacher at the Museum of Modern Art. This job led to his ascension as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1958. A decade later, he was made a member of the National Council of Culture and Arts by President Lyndon Johnson. He attained the rank of professor at the City College of New York in 1973, a position he would hold for the rest of his life.
During his career, Alston experimented with many different mediums in a variety of different styles, leading to a vast output which shows periods of fame in specific art forms. He explored the subjects of race, religion, the civil rights movement, and everyday life in the south. His styles cross vast ranges from realistic depictions of working people to abstract modernism, heavily influenced by repeated studies of African art. His murals gained him particular fame, leading him to find mural projects in which he could depict African-Americans in places frequented by African-Americans. As such, Alston was an individualist, never feeling the need to conform to artistic standards and trends of the day, instead painting what he experienced around him. He was a lifelong student as well as a teacher, constantly expanding his artistic vocabulary through exploration of new art forms and styles.
Alston died in 1977 from cancer. To honor his academic legacy, the Art Student's League created the Charles Alston Merit Scholarship the same year. In 1990, Alston's bust of Martin Luther King Jr. became the first art piece depicting an African-American displayed in the White House.
Alston was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. At a young age, Alston began to learn art from his older brother, Wendell. After moving to New York in 1915, his artistic talent was recognized at Public School 179 where he drew all of the school's posters. His artistic recognition continued at DeWitt Clinton High School where he was the art editor of The Magpie, the school's magazine. Accepted into the National Honor Society for his excellence in school, he nevertheless found time to study drawing and anatomy at the National Academy of Art on the weekend; it was here that Alston first began to work with oils. He gained acceptance to Columbia University, studying fine arts there, and was the recipient of a fellowship to study at Columbia's Teachers College upon completing his undergraduate degree; he graduated with a Master's Degree in 1931. During this period, he began his teaching career, teaching at the Harlem Arts Workshop close to where he lived. He also fostered a career as an illustrator for many prominent magazines such as The New Yorker and Fortune.
In 1938, Alston received a fellowship from the Rosenwald Fund; he used this money to travel to the south, his first time back since his family relocated over two decades earlier. There, he photographed portraits of the lives of various African-Americans, later turning these photographs into a series of portraits. Pleased with his work, the Rosenwald Fund awarded Alston an additional grant in 1940 in order for him to return to the south again and continue his work from 1938. After serving in Arizona during World War II, Alston returned to New York. In 1950, the Metropolitan Museum of Art displayed Painting, later purchasing it. His first solo exhibition followed in 1953 at the John Heller Gallery. In 1956, he took a job as the first African-American teacher at the Museum of Modern Art. This job led to his ascension as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1958. A decade later, he was made a member of the National Council of Culture and Arts by President Lyndon Johnson. He attained the rank of professor at the City College of New York in 1973, a position he would hold for the rest of his life.
During his career, Alston experimented with many different mediums in a variety of different styles, leading to a vast output which shows periods of fame in specific art forms. He explored the subjects of race, religion, the civil rights movement, and everyday life in the south. His styles cross vast ranges from realistic depictions of working people to abstract modernism, heavily influenced by repeated studies of African art. His murals gained him particular fame, leading him to find mural projects in which he could depict African-Americans in places frequented by African-Americans. As such, Alston was an individualist, never feeling the need to conform to artistic standards and trends of the day, instead painting what he experienced around him. He was a lifelong student as well as a teacher, constantly expanding his artistic vocabulary through exploration of new art forms and styles.
Alston died in 1977 from cancer. To honor his academic legacy, the Art Student's League created the Charles Alston Merit Scholarship the same year. In 1990, Alston's bust of Martin Luther King Jr. became the first art piece depicting an African-American displayed in the White House.