Archibald Motley, Blues, 1929
Painter Archibald Motley (1891–1981) was born in New Orleans but arrived in Chicago as a small child, when his family — like thousands of other African Americans — moved north in search of opportunity. Motley was able to study at the Art Institute of Chicago and by the 1920s also showed his work in New York City. Many of his paintings depicted life in the predominantly African American neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side that was widely known as the Black Belt. This piece, Blues, was painted when Motley was living in Paris. It shows the powerful impact jazz had on European listeners. Art Institute of Chicago.