William Edouard Scott facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
William Edouard Scott
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| Born | March 11, 1884 |
| Died | May 15, 1964 (aged 79–80) |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Herron School of Art and Design, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Académie Julian, Académie Colarossi |
| Known for | Painting |
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Notable work
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Night Turtle Fishing in Haiti, Haitian Market, Douglass Appealing to President Lincoln |
| Patron(s) | Rosenwald Fund |
William Edouard Scott (born March 11, 1884 – died May 15, 1964) was an African-American artist. He was known for his portraits, scenes from Haiti, and large wall paintings called murals. Scott helped change how Black people were shown in art during the early 1900s. He used Black people as his subjects and showed them in positive and inspiring ways. This was important because many older artworks showed Black people unfairly. Scott's art style was more traditional, not like the new abstract styles.
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Life Story of William Edouard Scott
William Edouard Scott was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on March 11, 1884. His parents were Edward and Caroline Scott. After finishing high school in 1903, he studied drawing for a year.
Art Training and Early Work
In 1904, Scott moved to Chicago. He went to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. There, he won a special prize for his art. While in Chicago, he painted many murals around the city. One of his murals, called Commerce, is still praised today.
Scott learned a lot about colors and impressionist painting techniques when he traveled to France. In France, he studied at famous art schools like Académie Julien and Académie Colarossi. He was also guided by Henry Ossawa Tanner, another famous African-American artist. Tanner had moved to Paris to avoid unfair treatment against his art in America.
Studying in Paris helped Scott become known as an artist more easily than he might have in America. Because of this, he sometimes painted scenes that were not about race at all. For example, from 1910 to 1914, he visited his old teacher in France. There, he painted local scenes like Rainy Night at Étaples.
Painting Black Life in New Ways
After his art education, Scott received a special grant from the Rosenwald Fund. This allowed him to travel to Haiti. He wanted to paint people there who had "kept their African heritage." Later, he traveled to Alabama to study Black communities in the Southern United States.
Scott wanted to change how Black people were seen in art. Before him, many artists only showed Black people as slaves or workers. Scott refused to do this. He hoped to "change the stereotypical ideas about African Americans." He also wanted to help different races understand each other better. When he returned to Chicago, he continued this goal. He painted Black people in important roles, doing noble things, in his portraits and murals.
Art Inspired by Haiti
In 1931, Scott received the Julius Rosenwald fellowship. This allowed him to study and paint in Haiti. During his time there, Scott truly captured the spirit of Haitian society.
Famous Haitian Paintings
One of his most famous paintings from this time is Night Turtle Fishing in Haiti (1931). This painting shows four Haitian men working on the water. The men look strong and their hard work makes the painting feel alive. Scott paid close attention to how he used light in his paintings. In Night Turtle Fishing, he uses the sun to highlight the fishermen, drawing your eye to them.
The busy markets in Haiti were another favorite subject for Scott. He showed their lively energy in Haitian Market (1950). This painting captures how crowded Haitian market life could be. The tall, classic-looking columns in the background add a sense of grandeur to the scene. Scott liked the markets because they helped him paint different "types" of Haitians. He wanted to create pictures of various Haitians doing their daily work. He also painted portraits to show "50 distinct Negro types."
Haitians really liked Scott's art. Before Scott, they mostly saw French art. Scott's paintings showed Haitians that their own daily life was a great subject for art. The Haitian president, Sténio Vincent, even asked Scott to show his art in two exhibitions in Haiti. His work was very well received. Through these paintings of Black people, Scott worked towards his goal of building understanding between races.
Portraits and Murals of African Americans
When Scott came back to the United States, he kept painting Black people and Black subjects. He did this in ways that changed their image in art.
Frederick Douglass Portrait
An example of his positive paintings of Black community members is his portrait of Frederick Douglass. In this painting, Douglass looks thoughtful, as if he carries the weight of the world. Scott often uses light to highlight parts of his work. Here, Douglass's skin looks lighter than you might expect. It seems as if bright light is shining directly on him. This is an interesting choice because Douglass's Blackness was very important to his life and work.
This choice suggests that Scott was somewhat traditional in his approach. Even though he painted a man who did so much for the African-American community, his race is not strongly highlighted. Instead, the main parts of the painting are Douglass's deep gaze and serious expression. These show his respected status and important role. Also, the setting and his clothes add to Douglass's respectability. He seems to be in a library, showing his education. He wears a suit, suggesting his success. By choosing to paint this important African-American man, Scott was challenging old ideas. He was showing a "New Negro" character. However, while Scott made a big statement by painting this Black subject, it suggests that Douglass's character, not just his race, made him worthy of painting. This shows Scott's mix of traditional and new ideas about race.
Douglass Appealing to President Lincoln Mural
Frederick Douglass appeared often in Scott's art. In 1943, Scott was chosen as the only Black artist to create a mural for the Recorder of Deeds Building in Washington, D.C.. This mural, called Douglass Appealing to President Lincoln (1943), tells the story of Douglass asking for African Americans to join the Union armies in the American Civil War.
In the mural, Scott shows Douglass as the strong speaker. Douglass leans forward with his hands out, talking to Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln seems to avoid looking into Douglass’s eyes, focusing on listening. Papers are scattered on the desk and floor, showing how urgent and desperate the situation was. The Civil War was much harder than the Union leaders expected. Douglass offered a solution, but it was not ideal for Lincoln. Many white people at that time did not believe African Americans could be good soldiers.
Still, Douglass is clearly the active person in this painting. This shows African Americans as important members of society. The painting also sends a message: African Americans could be just as patriotic and effective as soldiers as anyone else. However, like in the Frederick Douglass portrait, Douglass's "Blackness" is not strongly emphasized. His skin looks only a little darker than the shadowed parts of Lincoln's. So, this painting is another example of Scott taking a small step, not a huge leap, towards the "New Negro" movement.
William Edouard Scott played a big part in changing how Black people were shown in art. His teacher, Tanner, stopped focusing on race in his art. He felt that Europeans might not understand themes that were specifically American. Scott, however, did what Tanner did not. He painted the "New Negro" that Alain Locke would later talk about in the 1920s. Scott was still somewhat traditional in how he handled race. He did not strongly focus on Black physical features. But Scott's use of subjects that were not only positive but also clearly Black was his important contribution to the New Negro movement. Through his portraits and murals, Scott's art began to connect with the Black community and its history. He also painted religious and political themes that were not about race.
Murals at the Wabash Avenue YMCA
In Chicago's Bronzeville district, Scott painted several important murals at the Wabash YMCA. These murals became very damaged because the YMCA did not have enough money. However, when The Renaissance Collaborative restored the YMCA, the murals were carefully cleaned and fixed. They are now considered part of a Historic Landmark.
Scott's art style remained traditional, based on the impressionist techniques he learned early on. His approach to race also stayed somewhat traditional until he passed away in Chicago in 1964.
