Black Liberation: Exploring the Haitian Revolution through Jacob Lawrence’s Art
By Katherine Treviño-Yoson
The Haitian Revolution is a profoundly significant historical event, both birthing a republic with a lasting legacy and serving as a vivid symbol of black resistance and power. As an anthropology student at Saint Mary’s College, I knew immediately I wanted to dive deeper into Jacob Lawrence’s series on the Haitian Revolution and Toussaint L’Ouverture’s legacy. Haiti is a particularly vital site that anthropologists use to discuss race, colonization, diaspora, and how these dynamics move into our contemporary systems and institutions. This article provides a brief overview of the Haitian Revolution’s lasting significance and why Jacob Lawrence’s depiction of revolutionary Toussaint L’Ouverture is so valuable in understanding black liberation and self-expression in the wake of contemporary oppression.
To understand the impact of the Haitian Revolution, first we have to understand the historical and social context that gave rise to the movement. Haiti, a French colony then called Saint-Domingue, was a site of intense exploitation of resources and labor. Exports such as “sugar, coffee, cotton and indigo produced by the enslaved population” enriched France tremendously (Forsdick). An enormous proportion of the population of Haiti was enslaved, ninety percent, with over half born in Africa and violently transported to the colony (Dubois). Denied any sense of autonomy and surviving terrible conditions, an uprising of enslaved people began in 1791 to resist these oppressions (Dubois; Peguero). Toussaint L’Ouverture, born into slavery, rose to become a figurehead for the resistance movement and “transformed a revolt into a revolution, and laid the foundation for Haitian independence” (Explore Jacob Lawrence; Forsdick). Toussaint was captured by French forces, and died imprisoned in 1803 (Peguero). However, the revolution lived on, supported by General Jean-Jacques Dessalines and other followers of L’Ouverture (Peguero). Haitian independence was declared in 1804, with Haiti being recognized as the West’s first Black republic and the second colony in the West to win independence after the United States (“On Art Online’’; Forsdick). Celebrated political activist and scholar Angela Davis, reflects on the significance of Haiti, asserting, “Haiti remains the most significant site of historical freedom struggles in the Western Hemisphere”, and that the revolution invoked “the only historical declaration of democracy untainted by racism” (Davis). This legacy remains important in revolutions and demonstrations centering black voices, as some believe “the Haitian Revolution is the first Black Lives Matter movement” (Garcia-Navarro).
So, why is visual art a key medium to explore the Haitian Revolution? Angela Davis argues art has been historically integral to the national identity of Haiti, playing a paramount role in “generating a collective resilience in the country” in spite of generations of “political, economic, and environmental traumas” (Davis). Visual art can also be a vital tool to subvert the centering of written text in discussions of the Haitian Revolution. Professor Dubois of Duke University argues that “when we study the Haitian Revolution, we need to constantly remind ourselves that these texts are mostly traces of a much larger set of conversations that did not take place through writing, but rather through speaking, organising and debating in the midst of military and political action” (Dubois). Through exploring the Haitian Revolution through Jacob Lawrence’s visually striking prints, following Toussaint L’Ouverture’s life and impact, we can attempt to decenter written narrative as the only way to interpret history (Dubois).
Art is a powerful vehicle for diving deeper into history and how events shape modern conceptions of identity and expression. Consider the original title of the painting that Jacob Lawrence later translated into the print medium: “General Toussaint L’Ouverture, statesman and military genius, esteemed by the Spaniards, feared by the English, dreaded by the French, hated by the planters, and reverenced by the Blacks” (“On Art Online”). When looking at this striking portrait, one notices the rich hues of the piece- dark green, bold red, striking highlights of white, and deep brown. These colors deliberately invoke prestige, strength, and awe. In particular, L’Ouverture’s skin tone is a crucial element of this piece to highlight, as Lawrence made this artistic choice as a direct protest against colorism, “Lawrence examined many historical illustrations of L’Ouverture, though it is likely that none were drawn from life. Whereas sympathetic abolitionists sometimes lightened his skin color, Lawrence accentuates its darkness” (“Explore Jacob Lawrence”). Understanding the significance of Lawrence’s intentional depiction of L’Ouverture is vital to appreciating its place within the Harlem Renaissance and the profound stature captured by the visual medium of the portrait. Assistant Professor of Art History Fredo Rivera at Grinnell College declares, “In many ways, these prints refer to a moment when Black artists, writers, and intellectuals grappled with liberation and identity through a transnational or global lens” (“On Art Online”). Positioning this portrait within the Harlem Renaissance, which Jacob Lawrence was heavily inspired by and was “a beacon for articulating the modern Black identity”, we can see the implications this piece has on contemporary movements towards black liberation from oppression and upliftment of black voices (“On Art Online”).
Davis highlights the lasting legacy of the Haitian Revolution, and its influence on her psyche as a black woman, writing: “I think I had begun to more fully understand that whatever modicum of freedom we experience today, whatever inspiration impels us to continue to advance our struggle for liberation, we owe to those men and women who fought with Toussaint L’Ouverture and Jacques Dessalines”. Next time you stroll through Jacob Lawrence’s “Toussaint L’Ouverture Series”, on view through May 14th at the Saint Mary’s Museum of Art, consider the visionaries and revolutionaries that both participated in and continue to be influenced by the Haitian Revolution. This history lives on in contemporary movements and discussions of black liberation, resilience, and self-expression; and deserves recognition and celebration alongside other great moments in history.
Works Cited, and Further Exploration:
Davis, Angela Y. “Reflections on Haiti.” The Black Scholar, vol. 51, no. 2, 2021, pp. 8–10., https://doi.org/10.1080/00064246.2021.1889883.
Dubois, Laurent. “Why Haiti Should Be at the Centre of the Age of Revolution: Aeon Essays.” Aeon, Aeon Magazine, 8 Apr. 2021, https://aeon.co/essays/why-haiti-should-be-at-the-centre-of-the-age-of-revolution.
Explore Jacob Lawrence’s the Life of Toussaint l’Ouverture. Colby College Museum of Art, https://museum-exhibitions.colby.edu/explore-jacob-lawrence/.
Forsdick, Charles. Visualising Toussaint Louverture. The British Museum, 12 Mar. 2018, https://www.britishmuseum.org/blog/visualising-toussaint-louverture.
Garcia-Navarro, Lulu, and Marlene Daut. “What The Haitian Revolution Tells Us About The U.S. Movement For Racial Equality.” NPR, NPR, 4 July 2021, https://www.npr.org/2021/07/04/1012978325/what-the-haitian-revolution-tells-us-about-the-u-s-movement-for-racial-equality.
Peguero, Valentina. “Teaching the Haitian Revolution: Its Place in Western and Modern World History.” The History Teacher, vol. 32, no. 1, 1998, pp. 33–41. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/494418. Accessed 12 Mar. 2023.
“On Art Online: Jacob Lawrence by Fredo Rivera.” YouTube, Uploaded by Grinnell College Museum of Art, 18 Sept. 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5M3mIBQtt8.
