Harlem Painting

This piece is an example of a abstract harlem renaissance painting, it's symbolic of the hardships for African americans that got them to the point of which the where respected as musicians and able to find jobs which weren't hard labor. Some of the generation that later joined the Harlem Renaissance had actually experienced slavery, and some of the generation before that had actually experienced Africa. Paintings like this are just trying to keep records of their history with a creative, artistic perception of it.

The Upbeat colors, the desert looking background, and the plates of food suggest a small village in Africa thriving on resources. Assuming this is a abstract portrait of africa it would be logical to think that this piece was done by someone who was of African Decent and had an emotional attachment to their homeland.

Harlem Renaissance paintings usually have a degree of abstraction to them, but if not the have at least a little bit of exaggeration within them. In this particular piece the skin tone of the people exaggeratedly dark. 

Immortal Technique has a very negative perception of the Harlem Renaissance, despite the awesomeness of the song I think that some of the lyrics are slightly bias although I understand why it would be that way.

In the first verse Immortal Technique says "Until after the invasion of gentrification, Eminent domain of intimidation", meaning that until the area of harlem was renovated and made into a cultured, nice place to live, Harlem was well known as a scary place to be. In the next verse he says "That's not negotiation, and it's frustrating to look at", giving the song a negative implication. He is saying that because the performances where racist and that is how Harlem obtained all its money and became an alright place to live, it's shameful, and "frustrating to look at."

 Later, during the chorus the song goes "Harlem Renaissance, a revolution of trade, Modern day slaves, thinkin that the ghetto is saved,So they start deporting people off the property,Ethnically cleansing the hood, economically." which is saying that the Harlem performances where as close as they could get to slavery without it ACTUALLY being slavery which isn't very accurate considering that they where paid, it was their choice, and they could usually afford property with the money they made.