Week 9, entry one

10/23

“The Negro Art Hokum”

I think implicit in Schuyler’s argument for a lack of difference in black and white art is a lack of difference between white and black people. Schuyler seems ahead of his time in recognizing socialization when he writes: “…[W]hen [blacks respond] to the same political, social, moral, and economic stimuli in precisely the same manner as his white neighbor, it is sheer nonsense to talk about “racial differences” as between the American black man and the American white man” (98). Schuyler and Hughes would agree that black art should be evaluated seriously, because Schuyler sees condescension in a critic’s appraisal towards black art while Hughes only sees stereotypes available to the black artist such as being a clown.

While Schuyler is ahead of his time in socialization my only concern about his piece is the over generalization I think he makes about segregation and Jim Crow. Schuyler seemingly chalks this as just another factor that could shape just about any race. It was only a matter of chance that blacks were enslaved and developed so many musical forms in part as a result of their condition throughout the 1800s and 1900s. Schuyler really merges race with the condition of the blacks at the time of his writing. It seems like getting at Schuyler’s definition of race reveals his own values on aesthetics because for Schuyler, aesthetics indicates some heritage and condition.