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Difficulty: Very hardThe Harlem Renaissance and the New Negro Movement

Read the following excerpt from Langston Hughes's essay "The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain" (1926):

"We younger Negro artists who create now intend to express our individual dark-skinned selves without fear or shame. If white people are pleased we are glad. If they are not, it doesn’t matter. We know we are beautiful. And ugly too. If colored people are pleased we are glad. If they are not, their displeasure doesn't matter either. We build our temples for tomorrow, strong as we know how, and we stand on top of the mountain, free within ourselves."

Based on the excerpt, which of the following best characterizes how Hughes's artistic philosophy contrasted with the views of older Black intellectuals of the era, such as W. E. B. Du Bois?

  1. It prioritized raw, honest self-expression and artistic autonomy over the expectation that Black art should function primarily as a polished political tool for racial uplift.Answer
  2. B
    It endorsed Marcus Garvey's Black nationalist program by calling for the complete cultural and physical separation of Black artists from American society.
  3. C
    It aligned with Booker T. Washington's accommodationist strategy by advocating for economic and vocational training rather than political or artistic agitation.
  4. D
    It argued that the development of the 'New Negro' aesthetic was driven entirely by the escape from Southern racial terror rather than the attraction of Northern urban communities.

Answer

It prioritized raw, honest self-expression and artistic autonomy over the expectation that Black art should function primarily as a polished political tool for racial uplift.
The correct option is correct because Langston Hughes's manifesto 'The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain' explicitly advocates for the freedom of Black artists to express their true selves without conforming to the expectations of white audiences or the respectability standards of the Black middle class. This stood in contrast to W. E. B. Du Bois's position in 'Criteria of Negro Art' that all Black art must be propaganda for racial advancement.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the source text to identify Langston Hughes's core argument regarding the role of the Black artist.
Hughes asserts that the younger generation of Black artists must express their true selves without fear or shame, rejecting both white approval and the approval of Black audiences.
This establishes the premise of artistic independence and resistance to external standards.
2
Compare this philosophy with the contemporary intellectual context, specifically W. E. B. Du Bois's argument.
Du Bois and other older intellectuals advocated for respectability politics and argued that art must serve as political propaganda to uplift the race.
This highlights the tension between artistic freedom and didactic political utility during the Harlem Renaissance.
3
Identify the option that accurately describes this distinction.
The correct option identifies that Hughes prioritized individual self-expression and artistic freedom over the political utility of art.
This directly answers the prompt's question.

Key Concept

The ideological debate over the purpose, aesthetics, and political utility of Black art during the Harlem Renaissance.
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Topics

The Harlem Renaissance and the New Negro Movement

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