I-Search: Archibald Motley
I began my search with not a question in mind, but rather a person and a movement that I wanted to explore. Archibald Motley and the Harlem Renaissance interested me because I remember when I was in my U.S. history class in high school, the Harlem Renaissance was described as a powerful and progressive movement for artists and musicians of color. I, however, mostly learned about jazz musicians and singers, rather than visual artists. As I sat in our Birth of Modern class, I laboriously pondered on who I would want to write about. The name Archibald Motley sounded interesting and upon a quick google search of his name, I learned that he was a key player in the Harlem Renaissance, so I was sold.
(Archibald Motley, Barbeque, 1934)
My first initial question was “Who is Archibald Motley?” since I didn’t know anything about him aside from what art movement he belonged to. I went onto Google Scholar and typed in “Archibald Motley” into the search bar. One of the first sources that came up was for an academic journal by Phoebe Wolfskill about Motley’s significance in the “Negro Renaissance” and how he and another artist made art that was reflective of the generic stereotypes assigned to colored people. Right off the bat, this journal had very little to aid in my search for the specific information of who Motley was. I was more curious about his upbringings and hobbies and thoughts, rather than his art style, at this particular stage of my research. I couldn’t be sure what the entire essay was about since only a brief portion of it was being shown, so I clicked through to view it and the site I was on was asking for me to pay $96.00! I thought that was beyond ridiculous, especially since my looking was more out of general curiosity and exploration, rather than need based off of where I was in my research process. I was quite taken back by the fact they were asking for almost a hundred dollars for information that I was sure I could find elsewhere. Coincidentally, I found the exact article on the EBSCO database, free and for me to use however my heart desired. The article itself was lengthy and dense. This article mainly talked about how in the 1930s, American artists attempted to begin to develop a specific style and movement all their own that was separate from any proceeding ones that were European. This whole making art less sacred and more about the artwork becoming more accessible to everyone changed how art was perceived in America. The main goal, then, became to make the pieces of art easier to understand and to make sure that the audience got that the piece embodied what America and American life was and stood for. This shift rocked the art world entirely and allowed new voices to populate the scene – African American artists who previously weren’t part of the “respected” artists group. Also from reading this article, I learned that this renaissance took place during the Great Depression. Even though the overall state of the economy was dire and in trouble, this provided a lot of black artists to transition from making art part time to doing it full time, thanks to the government funded art programs. Motley, for instance, was able to focus on painting full time, thanks to his previous employment for the Public Works of Art Project and his contributions to the Works Progress Administration's Illinois Art Project. According to this article, Motley was a successful artist because he understood that his work, and other art being produced in this time period, was supposed to be mostly for the American public. He dealt with introducing the New Negro into American art by inserting African American people into issues that arose after the Depression. As fruitful this essay was with information about Motley’s career and presence in the art world, as well as what was didn’t answer my initial question. The author, Phoebe Wolfskill, works at Indiana University as a professor who teaches African American Art and Harlem Renaissance classes. I feel like Wolfskill is a viable source since she has a PhD and has taught many classes on this subject matter. The essay itself was very well-written and organized, but I didn’t learn what I was hoping to learn about Archibald Motley.
(Archibald Motley, Black Belt, 1934)
I continued my search on the EBSCO database since a few different sources came up when I had done my initial search of “Archibald Motley”. The second source I came across, written by Dennis Raverty, talked about Archibald Motley exclusively, as a person and as an artist and this was more along the lines of what I was looking for. As I read through, I learned that Motley was the first critically acclaimed and celebrated African American artist to make work that revolved around African American life almost exclusively. According to the essay, Motley explains later on in his life that he made the “conscious” effort of only painting certain subject matter because he wanted to “[expand] [the] African American audience for art.” (Raverty, 3) Something incredibly interesting and striking that I learned from reading this essay is that Motley referred to fellow African Americans as “them” and not “us.” I found this peculiar because typically, if an individual identifies with a particular group or ethnicity, they don’t cast themselves out or speak about that group in a tone or manner that an outsider would have. As I continued to read on, this separation was common at that time in Chicago. There was internal divide amongst the African American community, that some black people held themselves as higher than others in the black community, simply due to the fact that they have more money or a higher education. When I thought of the Harlem Renaissance beforehand, I always thought that it was such a unifying and supportive time in the black community, but upon reading this, I’m left feeling like perhaps it wasn’t. When I had previously seen Archibald Motley’s artwork, it looks like the subjects are all having fun and looking lively, but now that I know that Motley was doing this work as more of a disconnected study, it changes how I feel about it. The way it was made to seem in the article is that Motley looked at his fellow African Americans as zoo animals, a spectacle that he felt compelled to document and share with the world but he himself was very far removed from it. In another personal account, Motley talks about how he was fascinated by the men in the pool hall, all of them lively characters who were colored and had a “wonderful sense of humor.” (Raverty, 26) In an interview that is quoted in this essay, Motley is explained to be on the fringe of American society at this time because he is African American, and obviously not part of the white majority. However, Motley was relatively light-skinned and well-to-do and well-educated (he went to the nicer schools in Chicago and Europe) and was very different from what the majority of African Americans were like and experiencing. I particularly liked this source because it actually talked about Archibald Motley, his character, and his work. It’s not so much an analysis of who he is, and considering the subject matter and content, it could’ve easily transformed into that, but rather, it’s simply providing facts and piecing together information in such a way that lets the reader draw their own conclusions in a guided sort of way. This conclusion, in ways, is the author’s conclusion without the author blatantly stating, “I think that ...“ I think Dennis Raverty, said author, is qualified to write about this topic; he’s a professor at New Jersey City University and has a PhD. He focuses and specializes on contemporary and art history, which I feel makes him especially well-equipped to be writing on this subject. As for the essay itself, I feel overwhelmed after having reading it. It was so jam-packed with information and was easy to read through so I actually retained a lot of the information from it, compared to the first essay where I understood the points being made but instead of them sticking, it had the same effect as water droplets rolling off of wax paper. I liked this source and find it highly useful and I will most definitely be going back to it for our presentation in class on our essays.
(Archibald Motley, Cocktails, 1934)
Moving forward from this, I was stuck. My last source gave me a lot of useful information and I didn’t really know where to go with my thought process or “search” process since my question hadn’t really evolved or morphed into something else since it was essentially answered thanks to the last source; however, I was nowhere near the required number of words nor the required number of sources so I had to keep plowing forward. I figured that by continuously searching up Archibald Motley, I would come across even more interesting information that the previous sources had failed to mention, cover, or suggest. I went back onto the EBSCO database and typed in “Archibald Motley background” and apparently that search didn’t warrant any findings, but there were 76 items that were showing as result of my usage of keywords. I clicked on the first listed source that came up, as it seemed pretty promising, titled “Jazz Modernist” and all, but however, nothing came up when I clicked on it because it was more of a citation rather than a source. There was then about ten successive links that were citations and not academic journals or essays and that kind of upset me because it’s extremely misleading. I feel like the database should color coat the links or perhaps put a little triangle with an exclamation point inside right next to the source to signal to the person doing the research that that source is not an actual source that will help them get valuable information, but rather, a random art citation that was used in some other academic journal or essay and exists on the database for whatever purpose. I don’t feel like this was a good source at all. Aside from it being a citation, it doesn’t even have the artwork that the citation was claiming to cite as a sort of visual note for the reader. There was no linked author to the citation, yet it cited the abstracted journal that the citation was originally intended for. I didn’t find it helpful in the slightest and had to continue my search for information.
(Archibald Motley, Nightlife, 1943)
As I raked through the pages on the database, a particular title was rather striking to me so I immediately clicked, hopeful that I would find something rather important and contemplative. The title was “Biraciality and Nationhood in Contemporary American Art” by Kimberly N. Pinder and this is the link. Being someone who is multiracial and mixed, the title was rather captivating as I haven’t seen a lot of content exploring what it feels like to be so heavily mixed in America, as it’s a bit trifling and hard not having a specific ethnicity and lifestyle and set of traditions to cling onto and claim as my own and truly identify with all the time. Upon clicking on it though, I was disappointed. Not only had this source been another citation, the citation itself briefly explained what the article was about and the original article wasn’t even about Archibald Motley, but rather, it was about Tiger Woods and the nation’s fixation on him and the nature of biraciality in the late 1990s. In fact, in the citation, it states that the article is a biography on Tiger Woods. I was confused as to why it even came up as a search suggestion when I had not typed in “Tiger Woods” but rather “Archibald Motley” and I saw that Motley is described briefly in the article since he was a pivotal biracial person in history. The summary made it seem like Pinder actually made a comparison between Woods and Motley, but since Woods is a professional golfer who had like thirty something mistresses while married and Motley was an artist and… well, I wasn’t sure if he was married or not. And that led me to do another google scholar search with the verbiage being “was Archibald Motley married?” The first suggestion told me that he had married his high school sweetheart Edith Granzo and they had one child named Archibald “Archie” Motley, Jr. Going back to the previous point that I was trying to make, I’m not so sure that the comparison of Tiger Woods and Archibald Motley is a good one since their lives don’t line up except for the fact that they are both biracial men in America. I think this is a good source because it’s a non-profit organization that exists to provide information about African Americans. There isn’t, however, an accredited author to this bit of information about Motley so I have to question whether or not his is actually a good source or not; however, the information given is so short and straight to the point, I feel that perhaps an author wasn’t mentioned or credited because the information given is sort of seen as common knowledge that can’t really be credited to a specific person for saying it since that person did not create that information, i.e. his date of birth and who he married.
(Archibald Motley, The Jockey Life, 1934)
I wanted to know more personal information about Motley so I went back to that google search and looked at the following suggestions. The next link I clicked on talked briefly about his life, but it brought up information and points that I was completely unaware of and this is the seventh source that I’ve now looked at. Motley had gotten high marks when he was in school despite the rigorous and heavy work load that he had, which I thought was pretty interesting. Motley, as all of these articles and sites are suggesting, seemed to be an artistic and bright man and I find that very inspiring. Something interesting that I learned in this article is that Motley was financially supported by his wife upwards of ten years so that he could pursue his art career. This contradicts information that I learned from my very first source that says Motley was able to focus on his art career because he had saved up money from his own job and had previously worked on government funded art programs and projects. I’m now suspicious of whether or not this source is in fact accurate or scholarly at all. There was an author (actually, a contributor, since again, no new or original information was posted) was mentioned and his name Kevin Hodder. Hodder is an undergraduate student at the University of Washington, Seattle and is studying art history. There are two credited sources at the bottom of this page that are for a collection of Motley’s work and an independently published worked about race and representation. Perhaps Motley was both supported by his wife but also had money saved up and him being a part of the art scene through the government helped his art career.
(Archibald Motley, The Liar, 1936)
I continued my search for Archibald Motley and his life story and I came across this site via PBS. I clicked on it and was hoping for a decent amount of information about Motley; however, once the page loaded I was slightly dismayed. There was only one significantly sized paragraph about Motley and this was a very watered-down rundown of Motley’s life. Once again, there wasn’t an author or list of contributors. I suspect that since PBS is a big corporate company, perhaps they don’t feel the need to credit its employees or instead, the focus needs to be on the content being released rather than who is releasing the content. I suspected more from PBS since it’s supposed to be a free tool and outlet for the public to use to learn more about a wide variety of things, and this was very basic and broad. To say that the meager paragraph that was written is but the tip of the Motley is an understatement; this paragraph is but a nodule of ice on the very tip of the iceberg, completely oblivious to and almost disrespectful to the rest of the Motley iceberg that lies beneath the surface.
(Archibald Motley, The Picnic, 1936)
My search continued because I now had to find books that related to Archibald Motley and my goal of learning about who he was. My first e-Book that I stumbled across was To Conserve a Legacy by Richard Powell and Jock Reynolds. It’s a catalogue of sorts for varying HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) that showcase artwork from important colored artists, Motley being one of them. I was hoping that this catalogue would have insightful information or points about Motley’s work and his importance in the black community, but I was let down when I wasn’t able to look at the catalogue for free, that I would have to purchase the book for about forty dollars. Not having money and doing a research paper on the research process rather than the content matter prevents me from spending that much money on a catalogue. So alas, I had to move on to the other books. I feel like this could’ve potentially been a great source, with excellent information and high-quality pictures of Motley’s work, but since I’m unable to look at it for free, I can’t know for sure how great of a source it actually was.
(Archibald Motley,Tongues, 1929)
I moved along with my search and found this book called The Muse in Bronzeville: African American Creative Expression in Chicago, 1932-1950 by Robert Bone and Richard A. Courage. This book focuses on what Chicago during that time period was like, socially and economically. The book says this was a time for “stark contrasts.” (Bone, 1), going back to the whole white community versus black community and the educated and relatively well-to-do black people versus the average Joe, not so prosperous black people. Also, the term “Bronzeville” was coined, meaning a set of various achievements and victories for the racially diverse and was a self-defined word. Motley comes into play in this book because was a leading key component in the Harlem Renaissance or this time of “Bronzeville” when black artists and people just in general were raising up and above their previous titles. They became more recognized in society and amongst their smaller communities. I really liked this source because it was well-written and it talked largely about Motley and it also shared insightful information about the other African American Motley was living near and the people who were important and making waves themselves in the negro community. Robert Bone is a professor at Colombia University and studied African American Art. Richard A. Courage is an English professor at the Westchester Community College in Valhalla, New York and he writes about African American cultural history. I feel like these two gentlemen are well-equipped to write about this subject matter because they’ve studied it extensively and by Courage being an English professor, the language of the book was incredibly rich and read extremely well.
(Archibald Motley, Sunday in the Park, 1941)
I moved onto the next book to continue my search for information on Archibald Motley and wound up on From a Raw Deal to a New Deal: African Americans 1929-1945 By Joe William Trotter. Although this book didn’t mention Archibald Motley at all except to notify the reader within the very first few pages that Motley was the man on the cover of the book, the book itself was still a viable source. It talked about the struggles that African Americans had to face during the Great Depression. It talked about how the economic crisis directly affected African Americans, work wise, wage wise, and just how badly impoverished they indeed were. It also talked about the industrialization affected them in terms of work availability. The book itself is a lengthy one: precisely 11 volumes to be exact, examining the African American history from the 15th century all the way to the 20th century, with the acknowledgement of the rapid interest in said history right around the civil rights movement. I think this book is a great treasure trove of information on how African Americans dealt with everyday life during the time period that Archibald Motley was attempting to make himself an established artist. It caters more to understanding the surroundings Motley was in, rather than Archibald Motley and his life specifically. Joe William Trotter is a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, teaching History and Social Justice and he has a PhD. He was the president of the Labor and Working Class History Association and is also the current director of Carnegie Mellon's Center for Africanamerican Urban Studies and the Economy (CAUSE). I feel he is qualified and therefore the source is good. Also, the book was eloquently written and organized intellectually, where it flowed and was easy to find specific information one was looking for. Overall, I feel it was a great source.
(Archibald Motley, Lawn Party, 1937)
I came across my last viable source as I was going through the google scholar search of “Archibald Motley” and it was one of the last books linked on the seventh page of the search. I clicked on it and it brought me to Mixed Race Stereotypes in South African and American Literature: Coloring Outside the (Black and White) Lines by Diana Adesola Mafe. I was extremely happy with finding this book because it covered what the biography of Tiger Woods had failed to cover. It talked about the enigma that America and South Africa create in regards to mixed, multi-racial, and mulatto children/people. I was so interested this source that I actually almost stopped my writing to read through it, but since it’s a full book, that wouldn’t be possible if I wanted to finish this essay on time and strong, so I bookmarked it and plan on reading the entire thing when I have free time. A really interesting point made is that mulattos are sometimes seen as these superheros, who are expected to act as a bridge between two peoples and embody and be able to understand and help fix issues of both ethnicities. Mafe used Obama as an example and I thought that was rather clever since he was indeed since as some superhuman who has transcended racial tensions, but after having him as our president for seven years now, that superhuman quality had dissipated and people have realized that he is “mortal” just like everyone else. (Mafe, 1) Mafe briefly mentions Archibald Motley in the book as another example of a well-known mulatto, but the book itself is not about him. Out of all my sources, this was my favorite one and I feel that I personally got the most out of this source because it catered to something that I’m particularly interested in, which is being mixed. Diana Mafe is an assistant professor at Denison University and teaches English, Black Studies, and Gender Issues. Mafe may not be as heavily qualified and certified as some of the other authors/contributors, but I feel like I got the most out of this particular source and her writing.
(Archibald Motley, Blues, 1929)
As I come to the end of my searching process, I realize that early on, my question was indeed answered: I learned who Archibald Motley was and why he painted the subject matter that he did. Beyond that, though, I learned a lot about the environment that he was in, the people he was around, the fascination he had with other African Americans, his personal disconnect from the African American community, his loving and doting wife, and his own experience as a multiracial person. I went beyond my initial question and was on a hunt for more information about Archibald Motley because just like every other person walking this earth, there are multiple layers that need to be pulled back and examined in order to truly learn about who someone is.
