Black Aesthetic: Intro
The Black Aesthetic finds home in the astounding cultural ideology that developed during the civil rights movement in 1960s America. More than being an ideology, it has a deeply rooted literary meaning in traditions synthesized across regions and generations. The idea of mundanity, elegance, darkness and presentation is somewhat the Aesthetic that is generally recognized and celebrated in the world of fashion- from makeup to clothing. What is presented in the Aesthetic becomes an all-time favourite for generations to thrive on that idea of class and ownership. Other than being a taste of the old, the Aesthetic touches hearts owing to the roots that it has in the construction of black beautiful identity.
What is the Black Aesthetic?
The development of the Black Aesthetic finds its meaning in the formation of a legacy that stands uninterrupted in the United States of America. It is one of the most crucial factors in the construction of an African-American identity that is no longer oppressed and is in fact, bold and beautiful in its own right. It is a legacy that resists rigidity of the age-old traditions and grows on the suburbs of the ignored cities populated by the colored races. Early generations of men and women who fought against oppression presented their artworks in the form of murals that spoke of cruel social issues and sought to unionize the coloured communities.
All these murals were colourful and depicted members of the local communities that inspire generations to this day. From Jazz musicians to local politicians, the Black Aesthetic became the raging promise for many. One of the reasons why black became the slogan for the upliftment of identity was the stark reality that black is the colour of resistance and so the Black Aesthetic has the vocabulary to build generations that speak against oppression, idealism, gender neutrality, freedom of equal expression, and symbolism. The idea was also to present a rich legacy left by the coloured communities for the coming decades.
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A concept more than its literary nature
The Black Aesthetic is more than just a concept that appeals to the culture and is the anthem for the fashion industry. It confronts contradictions and forms a chain of experiences of resistance, both violent and peaceful. The Black Aesthetic runs in the extremes of mankind. It is more than what is maintained in the classic textbooks.
A lot of artists that are associated with the Aesthetic include the likes of Dana Chandler, Gary Rickson, William Walker, Jeff Donaldson, Jae Jarrell, Barbara Jones-the most expressive proponent of the Black Aesthetic movement, and Gerald Williams. All of the above names are not just names but evident legends that lived on the hearts and minds of research scholars, filmmakers, cinematographers, photographers, civil rights activists, etc. The above names are also collectively associated with the organization that they named AFRI-COBRA, a name that speaks of power, resistance, elegance, and strength just as is experienced in the concept of the Aesthetic.
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