Aaron Douglas was a painter. He was born in Kansas in 1898. Douglas went to college and studied art. He taught art in high school for one year.
Douglas then moved to Harlem where he met other artists, writers, and musicians.
He draw pictures to go with stories by black writers.
One of Douglas's teachers had taught him about African art. Douglas was inspired by the geometric shapes and designs in African art. He used them in his work. Du Bois liked Douglas's African themes, so he published Douglas's work in The Crisis.