Abstract:

In this article, the way that African American artists, who have lived in the USA since the 1920s, expressed their ethnicity in their prints has been discussed. African American artists first took part in the Harlem Renaissance, which was one of the most important cultural movements of its time, with the Great Migration (Black Migration), and in this process, they reflected their experiences about racism with their printmaking works. African American artists first started to produce printmaking works in workshops within the scope of the Federal Art Project (WPA) during the Great Depression period that started in the country in the 1930s. Important printmaking workshops in Mexico, such as the People's Graphic Arts Workshop (Taller de Gráfica Popular), Atelier 17, and Robert Blackburn's printmaking workshop, established in 1947, have been important workshops that direct African American artists production of printmaking works in various techniques. In this research, it is aimed to analyze the ethnicity and gender issues of James Lesesne Wells, Hale Aspacio Woodruff, Charles White, Elizabeth Catlett, Romare Bearden, David Hammons, Gleen Ligon, Renee Green, Lorna Simpson, Kara Walker and Ellen Gallagher, who contributed greatly to the art of printmaking with their works. Their works related to the subject were examined through the printmaking works they produced in the context of race. In this context, it has been concluded that the art of printmaking has a strong role in conveying the discourses of these artists through their works.

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