One could say Jacob Lawrence would never have become a painter if he had not been a troublemaker first. His mother wanted him off the streets, so she enrolled him in an after-school arts program. The teacher there saw Lawrence's talent, and encouraged him to pursue an art career. Lawrence fell in love with creating art, and created paintings that focused on important parts of African American history. One example of this is Migration of the Negro, one of Lawrence's most famous works. He completed it in 1941 at the age of 24. It is a series of paintings representing the "Great Migration," the massive movement of African Americans from the rural South into the urban North that began in the 1910s.

The Migration of the Negro, panel 3, by Jacob Lawrence, 1940-1941

One of Lawrence's signature styles is his use of vivid and bold colors. Lawrence received a lot of praise for both the historical content and artistic style of his work, and was the first black artist to receive lasting public and critical recognition in the United States. His murals can still be seen in subway stations, building entries and, of course, museums all over the country.