Narrative Art: Jacob Lawrence's "The Life of Toussaint L'Ouverture"

This year marks the 220th anniversary of the Haitian Independence Day. Haiti became a free republic on the first day of January in 1804. In this month's blog, we will explore Jacob Lawrence's "The Life of Toussaint L'Ouverture" and how we can use art to tell stories.

Who was Jacob Lawrence?

Jacob Lawrence was an African-American painter known for his representation of African-American political and social life in America. Lawrence was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey. His family moved to New York City when he was 13 years old. He learned to paint after his mother enrolled him in after school art classes. Jacob Lawrence later attended classes at the Harlem Art Workshop where he was mentored and given a scholarship to attend the Amercan Artists School.

Jacob Lawrence is known for his use of bold colors and graphic shapes that were influenced by his surroundings in Harlem. The subjects in his artworks chronicled the struggles of African-Americans. He gained national recognition at the age of 23 years old for The Migration Series, a 60-panel series portraying the flight of African-Americans who left the rural south to live in the industrial north during the outbreak of World War I.

Between 1936 and 1938, prior to the creation of The Migration Series, Lawrence created his first narrative work of art. The Life of Toussaint Louverture was originally created as a series of forty-one tempera paintings on paper in 1938. The panels tell the story of Toussaint Louverture's birth and rise to leadership as the commander-in-chief of the Haitian Revolutionary Army. The story of Toussaint Louverture was one that resonated with Lawrence so much that he felt compelled to return to his tempera paintings to make something that was already great even better! Fifty years later, Lawrence decided to select the most significant of the tempera on paper paintings to create fifteen large scale silk-screened panels. The most popular and well-known panel in the series is General Toussaint, a bold and graphic portrait of Toussaint Louverture in uniform.

General Toussaint from The Life of Toussaint L'Ouverture,1986. Silkscreen on paper, 30 1/2 x 20

The Former Slave Who Freed Haiti

François-Dominique Toussaint Louverture (1743-1803) was a Haitian general and leader of the Haitian Revolution. Under his leadership, Haitians overthrew the French who occupied the colony of Saint-Domingue (Haiti). Louverture's revolution was the first and only successful slave revolt in recorded history which made Haiti, the first free independent nation in the Caribbean, the second democracy in the western hemisphere, and the very first black republic in the world.

After Haiti defeated France, Napoleon gave up on his plans for Western domination. This was significant because it led to the Louisiana Purchase, which doubled the size of the United States.

The success of the Haitian Revolution inspired Gabriel Prosser, Nat Turner and

Denmark Vesey, leaders of the three largest slave revolts in America. In addition, the Haitian Revolution helped other countries such as Brazil, Venezuela, Ecuador, Columbia, Panama, northern Peru, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Bolivia to obtain their independence. As a result, Europeans and Americans did not want to see a former slave colony thrive, so despite Haiti becoming the world's first black republic, the Haitian government was forced to pay an indemnity to France for the loss of property (slaves) in 1825. The money paid to France could have established a robust economy for Haiti. Instead, it took Haiti six generations to pay twenty-one billion in today's currency as a form of reparations to France.

Discussion on Empathy

The Haitian Revolution was the largest and most successful slave rebellion in the Western Hemisphere. Share Jacob Lawrence's The Life of Toussaint L'Ouverture with your students. Engage your students in a discussion about oppression.

What was life like for Africans in Haiti? Why did Haitians feel the need to revolt?

Do you think you would have felt compelled to join or lead a revolution for freedom if you were enslaved?

Narrative Art: Art That Tells a Story

Jacob Lawrence told stories that were near to his heart. He chronicled the African-American experience; the stories of heroes in America (The Harriet Tubman Series) and heroes abroad as told in The Life of Toussaint L'Ouverture.

So, how do we cultivate the ability to tell stories in our young artists? Begin by introducing the idea of creating a personal narrative; artwork that is personal to a student's unique background, culture, or history. This can inspire students to create beautiful, meaningful, and unique works of art. Consider encouraging the use of found materials and personal artifacts to create a collage. Once artwork is completed, have students attach an artist statement to their finished works of art.

Resources

For more on the Haitian Revolution, the book Haiti: The First Black Republic by Frantz Derenoncourt Jr. is a beautifully crafted picture story book for children. This non-fiction, history and biography book gives an accurate chronology of events that lead to Haitians gaining their independence. You can find the author and order a copy of this book at www.thorobredbooks.com or have your students watch the Kulture Kids YouTube read aloud video below.

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