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Difficulty: EasyThe New Negro Movement and Cultural Debates

Read the excerpt below from George Schuyler's 1926 essay 'Negro-Art Hokum' and answer the question that follows:

'Because a few Negroes in the United States, after three centuries of association with other Americans, have run true to form and produced some poetry, prose, and painting of merit, we are told that there is a "Negro" art... This nonsense is shared by both white and Black.'

Based on the excerpt, which of the following statements best describes Schuyler's perspective on the development of a distinct African American art?

  1. He argued that African American art does not exist as a separate category because Black artists are fundamentally American and shaped by the same cultural influences as white Americans.Answer
  2. B
    He believed that unique Black art could only be produced by artists who favored permanent emigration to West Africa.
  3. C
    He argued that Black art is defined by a monolithic and uniform African culture that remained completely unaffected by American society.
  4. D
    He asserted that true African American artistic expression is found only in covert everyday acts of resistance, such as song and folktales.

Answer

He argued that African American art does not exist as a separate category because Black artists are fundamentally American and shaped by the same cultural influences as white Americans.
Schuyler's essay 'Negro-Art Hokum' argues that African Americans have been fully assimilated into American culture after three centuries of association, making their art indistinguishable in form and style from that of white Americans. Thus, he claims that a separate 'Negro art' does not exist.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze Schuyler's main claim in the excerpt.
Schuyler refers to the concept of a distinct 'Negro' art as 'nonsense' shared by both Black and white people.
Understanding his thesis is key to identifying his perspective.
2
Identify the evidence Schuyler provides to support his claim.
He points to 'three centuries of association with other Americans' to show that Black writers and artists run 'true to form' as Americans.
This explains why he views their artistic output as American rather than distinctively Black.
3
Match his argument to the correct option.
The statement that Black artists are fundamentally American and influenced by the same culture as white Americans matches his argument.
This directly states his view on the non-existence of a separate category of African American art.

Key Concept

The debates over the existence and definition of a unique African American artistic aesthetic during the New Negro Movement.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

The New Negro Movement and Cultural Debates

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