Aaron Douglas was a prideful and creative man, who believed in his heritage and was motivated by it to create art. Douglas was easily the most celebrated artist of the Harlem Renaissance, and was sometimes referred to as "the Father of Black American Art." His piece "Aspirations" is a telling portrayal of the struggles that African American people faced. The piece has 3 figures, all holding some type of object, that all represent education in some way. One is holding a globe, another a math tool of some kind, and lastly a woman holding a book. Each one signifies how important it is to be educated and know how to read and write, because at this time education equaled success. Underneath the figures is dark, with hands held high with chains around their wrists, to represent the past of many African Americans in slavery. The highest and brightest point of the painting is the city on top of the hill. It represents what they are aspiring for, the "American Dream" if you will. The painting really portrays emotion and feeling by not personalizing the figures, or showing their faces. The man in the middle points up towards the city which automatically draws the viewers eye upward. This piece is inspiring, and the name itself represents what kind of life they were trying to live, and who they were aspiring to be.
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