Jeff Donaldson (artist) facts for kids

Jeff Donaldson (1932 – 2004) was a talented artist. His work helped shape the Black Arts Movement in the 1960s and 1970s. Donaldson was a co-founder of a famous art group called AfriCOBRA. He also helped create the important Wall of Respect. He was a leader in helping African-American people achieve great things in art and education.

Donaldson's art often created new, positive images for Black people. These images were linked to Africa and showed their struggles and strengths. He wanted to replace the old, negative stereotypes seen in mainstream culture.

In the 1960s, during a time of big changes for civil rights, many African-American artists wanted their art to connect with everyday Black people. Donaldson and others aimed to make "art for the people." This art was easy for common Black folk to understand and enjoy. It was not just for a small group of highly educated people. Through his art and teamwork, Donaldson helped create a new art style. He called it "transAfricanism." This style helped bring Black people together.

Donaldson had the idea for AfriCOBRA to create a worldwide art style. He wanted artists from different countries to work together. This would help unite the idea of Black art, which was spread out at the time. This unity would help people of the African diaspora understand their shared identity. The diaspora refers to people of African descent living outside Africa. They were taken from their homelands and moved to new places. They held onto the idea that they came from Africa. This shared past became a key part of their new identity.

Donaldson and AfriCOBRA helped make this shared identity stronger and more visible. Donaldson felt that Black people were not shown enough in newspapers or on TV. He wanted to bring the true beauty and dignity of Black life to the front. This would give Black people a recognized place in the world.

Jeff Donaldson's Early Life and Education

Jeffrey Richardson Donaldson was born on December 15, 1932. His hometown was Pine Bluff, Arkansas. His parents were Clementine Frances Richardson Donaldson and Sidney Frank Donaldson Sr. He went to Merrill High School in Pine Bluff.

In 1954, he earned a B.A. in Studio Art from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. He was the first person to major in studio art there. After college, he worked at Lanier High School. He started an art program for Black students. Then, he joined the U.S. Army.

Donaldson continued his education after the army. He earned his M.F.A. in 1963. This degree was from the Institute of Design of the Illinois Institute of Technology of Chicago. In 1974, Donaldson made history. He earned a Ph.D. from Northwestern University. He was the first African American to get this degree in the nation.

In 1970, Donaldson became the chairman at Howard University. He used his position to change the art history programs. He made the courses on African and African-American art much broader. He showed students that art could take many forms. He also taught them that art could carry important social messages. Thanks to his leadership, Howard University's art program became famous worldwide.

AfriCOBRA and the TransAfrican Art Style

Donaldson's biggest impact on African art history came with the group he helped start: AfriCOBRA. At first, they called themselves the Coalition of Black Revolutionary Artists (COBRA). Later, they changed their name to African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists (AfriCOBRA). This new name was very meaningful.

The "Afri" part of the name had two meanings. It referred to the popular African-American hairstyle, the "afro." It also pointed to the shared heritage of all group members as African Americans. This name showed that AfriCOBRA was not just any art group. It had a unique and important purpose. The group wanted to create "celebratory art," as Donaldson said. This art would celebrate African Americans as strong and successful.

AfriCOBRA also aimed to create art for everyone. They pushed this community art beyond national borders. They helped create one of the first international art forms.

Donaldson created the term "transAfrican" to describe this new art style. He saw this amazing development happening all over the world. He noted that "unrelated groups of artists [around the world]… have issued manifestoes…[defining] the transAfrican style/movement." AfriCOBRA, guided by Donaldson, was key in defining and supporting this movement. They did this by organizing and joining many international and national conferences.

Donaldson also used the term "superreal." This word described the Black or "transAfrican" art style of AfriCOBRA. It meant art that went beyond reality, adding to it and making it fuller.

In May 1970, AfriCOBRA joined over 100 artists, historians, and educators. They came from all over the country. Their goal was to combine their ideas for the future of African-American art. This meeting was called CONFABA (Conference on the Functional Aspects of Black Art). Donaldson started it, and it took place at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. One great result was that African diasporic artists inspired each other. They shared creative styles and ideas. Donaldson noted the "spiritually uplift[ing]" effect of artist Boghossian on the whole AfriCOBRA group.

A few years later, Donaldson led the North American committee for FESTAC. This was the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture. It was the largest pan-African cultural event ever. The festival happened in 1977 in Lagos, Nigeria. More international and national meetings followed. These led to what Donaldson called "an informal international group of creative people of African descent."

This new group of artists was connected by shared interests and goals. They wanted to celebrate people of African descent. They showed them as intelligent, talented, beautiful, hardworking, and as winners.

The TransAfrican Style in Art

Donaldson said the transAfrican style had certain features. These included "high energy colour, rhythmic linear effects, flat patterning, form-filled composition and picture plane compartmentalization." You can see these features in his group works, like with OBAC and AfriCOBRA.

A famous AfriCOBRA member, Barbara Jones-Hogu, described the art. She said it used "bright vivid singing Cool-ade colors of orange, strawberry, cherry, lemon, lime and grape." She also noted "syncopated, rhythmic repetition that constantly changes in color, texture, shapes, form, pattern, and feature."

Take the famous Wall of Respect, for example. It is full of life and energy. It uses bright, bold colors and strong patterns. Cool green and dark blue stand out against warm oranges, reds, and yellows. This creates a visually exciting artwork. The color contrasts, especially at the bottom, show Donaldson's idea of "picture plane compartmentalization." The rhythmic feel of the style is seen in the jazz instruments. This movement is also clear in the flowing yellow strokes behind the political leaders in the upper left. The mural truly shows African Americans as heroes. It displays the faces and figures of the diaspora's most successful members.

The transAfrican style also appeared in Donaldson's own art. An example is his 1971 piece, Victory in the Valley of Eshu. This artwork shows an older Black couple holding something like an eye-shaped pinwheel. This pinwheel is actually an "African American symbol of freedom, the six-legged star."

Victory in the Valley of Eshu also includes many parts of traditional African culture. It honors the shared heritage of diaspora members. The work is full of references to the Yoruba people and traditional Africa. These include a Yoruba Sango dance wand in the man's right hand. It also refers to honored ancestors (a Yoruba belief) and the name "Esu," who is the Yoruba god of fate.

A new important element called "shine" is visible in this piece. "Shine" is an art effect that shows a bright, star-like quality in everyday African Americans. This effect helps the art "celebrate" Black people. As Donaldson said, it "define[s], glorif[ies], and direct[s] black people—an art for the people’s sake." The "shine" is shown through small dots of color in the figures’ hair and around their bodies. Also, the couple's afros look like halos. These elements, along with their bright white clothes, celebrate ordinary Black people in this African diasporic artwork. The small dots of color seem to come from their bodies and dance around the edges of the picture. This shows the rhythmic motion that was key to transAfrican art.

Donaldson clearly stated that transAfrican art needed "emotional intensity." This would come from a musical or rhythmic feeling. This idea is hinted at in Victory in the Valley of Eshu. But it is very clear in Donaldson’s later work, JamPact JelliTite (for Jamila). This piece, made in 1988, also has the idea of "shine." Here, it appears as dancing squares, diamonds, and zig-zags of color.

The popular abstract art style of the late 20th century is clear in this work. There is a shift from human-like forms to geometric shapes and lines. However, these geometric shapes, along with the busy activity, bright colors, and circles, give the work a traditional, almost tribal African feel. The energetic movement of the piece is made stronger by the musical and rhythmic themes. You can find hidden elements of jazz music in the painting, like a bass player, a singer, and a pianist.

Over time, Donaldson's art changed in style. The way he showed transAfrican themes, especially rhythm, also shifted. He moved away from direct references to traditional African art (like Yoruba images). He also moved away from clear pictures of Black people in power and celebrating the Black body. Instead, transAfrican ideas were shown through geometric shapes and rhythmic motion. These reflected traditional African rhythms and movements.

This change in Donaldson's transAfrican style was also seen in the art of other African diaspora artists. Generally, one single group art style became less common. While transAfrican art still kept its main themes, fewer group efforts like the Wall of Respect were made. Donaldson noticed this change. He said that artists spreading out geographically led to more contact with other Africentric artists in different cities. This made individual expression stronger within the idea of unity.

As time went on, it became harder to define "transAfrican" art. Perhaps the goal of an art that would cover all of African history and the African diaspora was too big. It might be impossible to do while keeping each part of African art true to itself. The big goal of this all-encompassing, unified art form seems to be fading. It was recently noted that artists of the African diaspora meet less often. Perhaps the diaspora is simply too large and diverse for such a strong unity to last. Or maybe the transAfrican art form has already been established. Its creators, having built their community, are now looking for ways to express themselves individually.

Even if the transAfrican art style is changing, its impact on the international African diaspora was huge. Creating this style gave people of the diaspora everywhere a visibility they did not have before. This gave them more power as a recognized group of people. Through his transAfrican style and community-focused artwork, Jeff Donaldson showed members of the African diaspora that they were a strong, independent people. They would not always be held down. Donaldson's work started the first group effort to show a global African art culture. The legacy and impact of his efforts are lasting and important.