Les Fétiches Loïs Mailou Jones This depiction of an African mask created a geometric portrait that suggests a strong human presence. The masks themselves are copied from different African tribes, including the Songye Kifwebe and Guru Dan.

Harlem Renaissance Art The term Harlem Renaissance refers to the prolific flowering of literary, visual, and musical arts within the African American community that emerged around 1920 in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City.
 Les Fétiches Loïs Mailou Jones This depiction of an African mask created a geometric portrait that suggests a strong human presence. The masks themselves are copied from different African tribes, including the Songye Kifwebe and Guru Dan. 

In Paris, Jones studied African art, including masks at the Musée de l'Homme. Primitivism, however Jones explored more specific and cultural dimensions of the mask.

When her teachers questioned her African themes, she replied, "if masters like Matisse and Picasso could use them, don't you think I should?" This painting was a seminal work in the transition of Négritude, a French literary movement, into the visual arts.