I visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Friday, April 17th in order to view the painting by Jacob Lawrence titled Pool Parlor. For some reason, I expected the painting to be much bigger than it actually was. I guess for some reason I was thinking it would be life-size, or the size of a few pool tables. Instead, I found the picture to be a little bigger than average, but the actual size is 31 x 22 ½ inches. The picture is painted using water color and gauche on paper. The artist uses a simple style consisting of flat planes, strong dynamic lines and a lot of different shapes. It depicts a pool bar scene with 4 working tables all occupied by dark skinned men. It was interesting to see how the artist put more detail in the pool tables,…show more content… This movement gave birth to “The New Negro”. It brought promise to people who once believed they had no significant part in the future of America. The movement was made popular by jazz movement and gave African Americans a new sense of racial pride. “The Harlem Renaissance, served as the vehicle to uplift a race of people whom once were given the misconception of being lazy, slovenly and having an excessive sexual appetite that deserved no reward except for poverty and dishonor”. (Huggins, Harlem Renaissance) Jacob Lawrence emerged on the scene in 1941 at the age of twenty-four, and he continued to be successful his entire life. He is often thought to be one of the most renowned African-American painters of the twentieth century. Jacob Lawrence said “a painting should have three things: universality, clarity and strength. Universality so that it may be understood by everyone, and clarity and strongly so that it may be aesthetically good.” (no out of bounds) His work has played a major role in the Harlem Renaissance movement. It is an excellent example of the visual art the culture brings. His work has helped shape the cultural identity of people that have no history in