Jacob Lawrence
Jacob Lawrence was an AfricanAmerican painter known for his portrayal of AfricanAmerican life. But not only was he a painter, storyteller, and interpreter, he also was an educator. Lawrence referred to his style as dynamic cubism, though by his own account the primary influence was not so much French art as the shapes and colors of Harlem. He brought the AfricanAmerican experience to life using blacks and browns juxtaposed with vivid colors. He also taught, and spentyears as a professor at the University of Washington.
Jacob Lawrence was born in 1917 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. He was thirteen when his family, including his sister and brother, moved to New York City. Lawrence was introduced to art shortly after that, when their mother enrolled him in classes at an arts and crafts settlement house in Harlem, in an effort to keep him busy. The young Lawrence often drew patterns with crayons. In the beginning, he copied patterns of his mothers carpets one of his art teachers noted great potential in Lawrence.
Source: Wikipedia