Style Imitating Art: “Harlem at Night” by Charles Henry Alston

When I initially saw the title of the painting for this week’s selection, the first thing that popped into my head was the Harlem Renaissance. And if you’ve been around me for any period of time, you know that the Harlem Renaissance is my favorite era — there was so much cultural growth within the Black community with writers like Nella Larsen, Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, and more. But once I saw the art piece, it made me think of a more contemporary Harlem, like Charles H. Alston may have been looking into the future. That being said, I’ve never been to Harlem and I know I romanticize it quite a bit, but if I ever have the opportunity to go, I am so there. Side note: if you look at the graphic, you’ll see a picture I took of myself as I would’ve looked had I danced the night away at the Cotton Club or the Savoy Ballroom.

ABOUT STYLE IMITATING ART

Style Imitating Art is hosted by Salazar {14 Shades of Grey}, Shelbee {Shelbee on the Edge}, and Marsha {Marsha in the Middle}. Style Imitating Art challenges us to draw style inspiration from pieces of art. Every other Monday one of them selects an inspiration image and they each post the image on their blogs. The following Monday, they share their art inspired outfits. Participants submit their art inspired outfits to the curator by 10 PM Tuesday and, that Wednesday, the curator shares all of the submissions on her blog.

For ideas about how this works, please see previous posts by clicking here.

THE INSPIRATION PIECE

Marsha selected “Harlem at Night” by Charles H. Alston, which you can view by visiting the Newfields Collections at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. “Harlem at Night” was created in New York in 1948 and is oil on canvas.

Soooo, I did not know that Charles H. Alston is a Harlem Renaissance artist. This is why I love these types of challenges, because I learn something new every single time. An artist, sculptor, and educator, Alston was committed to reclaiming and exploring racial identity through art. His work sought to address issues surrounding personal and communal aspects of racial identity.

In the 1930s and 1940s, Alston contributed to Fortune, Mademoiselle, and other major magazines.  He also designed book covers for Eudora Welty and Langston Hughes. And during World War II, he drew inspirational cartoons for the Office of War Information, appearing in a variety of Black newspapers. He would go on to become the first Black instructor at MoMA.

THE CURATOR

This week’s work of art was chosen by Marsha.

WHAT I WORE

In looking at the inspiration piece, the first colors I noticed were the oranges and yellows in the streetlights, so I pulled those colors out in my ring, sweater, and glasses. The shadows and dark edges are picked up in my wide legged camo pants, and my oh-so-comfortable cork bed slides.

When I first put this outfit on, I thought it was too much – too baggy, too heavy, too oversized, but I’m happy that I kept the outfit on. The only thing I wish I’d done differently is unzipped the bottom and left a little more of the sweater untucked.

Honestly, I think this may be one of my favorite outfits. It’s just so cozy and comfortable.

WHERE I WORE IT

I was off, so I wore this to run errands and hang out around the house.

GET MY LOOK

Chunky Sweater: Similar  | Camo Pants: Similar  | Suede Cork Bed Slides: Similar

Sizing: I’m 5’4″ and a dress size 12 to 14 {L, XL}. I wear a size 8.5 shoe.

While I pay for many of the items I share on this blog out of my own pocket, some items are gifted to me {I always disclose those items}.

BOOKISH THINGS

Bookshop.org – Shop for books selected by me, for you!

NetGalley Professional Reader – I receive free ARCs from NetGalley to review on my blog and share on Instagram.

The StoryGraph – A reading app that shares all the nerdy details of my bookish life.

IT’S YOUR TURN

Do you have a favorite era? It can be cultural, stylistic, whatever. Leave a comment below.

THANK YOU

Thank you for stopping by my blog. I hope you enjoyed this post and learned something new. If you like what you read, please consider sharing this post on Facebook or Pinterest. While I pay for many of the items I share on this blog out of my own pocket, some items are gifted to me {I always disclose those items}. If you’d like to connect on a more regular basis, I’m on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

Come back soon,

 

 

 

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AFFILIATE INFORMATION

As the blogger and photographer behind Living Outside the Stacks, I independently select and write about stuff I love and things I think you’ll enjoy too. Living Outside the Stacks has affiliate and advertising partnerships so I get revenue from sharing this content and from your purchase. Thank you for your support.

Reading and reviewing books brings me a great deal of happiness. If you’re a reader, I’d love for you to visit my online bookstore, Living Outside the Stacks, to make your purchase. If you purchase from my shop, I’ll receive a small commission and you’ll also support indie bookstores. If you need help staying organized, but want to keep it pretty, I invite you to give Artful Agenda a try. It’s a digital planner inspired by paper planners. Use my code: RD1191716. Artful Agenda connects effortlessly to your Google and Outlook calendars and works across devices.