Lois Mailou Jones
| Loïs Mailou Jones | |
|---|---|
Loïs Mailou Jones c.1936
|
|
| Born |
November 3, 1905 Boston, Massachusetts |
| Died | June 9, 1998 (aged 92) |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Painting and Illustration |
| Movement | Harlem Renaissance |
Loïs Mailou Jones (November 3, 1905 – June 9, 1998) was an influential artist and teacher during her seven decade career. Jones was the only African-American female painter of the 1930's and 1940's to achieve fame abroad. Jones' career began in textile design before she decided to focus on fine arts. Jones looked towards Africa and the Caribbean and her experiences in life when painting. As a result, her subjects were some of the first paintings by an African-American artist to extend beyond the realm of portraiture. Jones was influenced by the Harlem Renaissance movement and her countless international trips.Lois Mailou Jones' career was enduring and complex. Her work in designs, paintings, illustrations, and academia made her an exceptional artist that continues to receive national attention and research.
Jones was born to Thomas Vreeland and Carolyn Jones. Her father was a building superintendent who later became a lawyer after becoming the first African-American to earn a law degree from Suffolk Law School. Her mother worked as a cosmetologist. During her childhood, Jones' parents encouraged her to draw and paint using watercolors. Her parents bought a house on Martha's Vineyard where Jones met those who influenced her life and art such as: sculptor Meta Warrick Fuller, Harry T. Burleigh, and novelist Dorothy West.
From 1919 to 1923, Jones attended the High School of Practical Arts in Boston. During these years, she took night classes from the Boston Museum of Fine Arts through an annual scholarship. Additionally, she apprenticed in costume design with Grace Ripley. She held her first solo exhibition at the age of seventeen in Martha's Vineyard. Jones began experimenting with African mask influences during her time at the Ripley Studio. From her research of African masks, Jones created costume designs for Denishawn.
From 1923 to 1927, Jones attended the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston to study design where she won the Susan Minot Lane Scholarship in Design yearly. Jones took night courses at the Boston Normal Art School while working towards her degree. After graduating from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Jones received her graduate degree in design from the Design Art School of Boston in 1928. Afterwards, Jones began working at the F. A. Foster Company in Boston and the Schumacher Company in New York City. During the summer of 1928, Jones attended Harvard University where she decided to focus on painting instead of design.
...
Wikipedia