Jeunesse

      This painting is titled Jeunesse, by Palmer Hayden. Jeunesse is about the newness of people's situations during the Harlem Renaissance. The title, Jeunesse, resembles what could be a feminine version of the French word for young, jeune. It is also about the joy that can be found during difficult times, as shown by the dancing and pastel colors in some areas in contrast to the dark pallet of the painting as a whole.

        The first Harlem Renaissance theme shown in this painting is the desire to reconstruct the meaning of the word "negro." As I previously said, the title of the painting means youngness, which illustrates the idea of reconstruction and redefinition perfectly. Also, the couple in the front are cast in light, apposed to the couples behind them who are clumped together and painted with dark colors.

        Another way the desire to reconstruct the meaning of negro is shown is the way in which the front couple are dancing. Their movements are bigger and more flowing than the older couples behind them. They are more free and have the room to do what they like, where the couples in the back are cramped and dancing in a restricted traditional way. This could also be seen as an example for the theme of determination to fight against oppression.

        I quite like this painting. When I was designing the look for my blog I knew I wanted a painting from the Harlem Renaissance as my background, and I found this one. I liked it so much I used it both as my background and as one of my pieces to analyze. I find Jeunesse calming and inspiring.