Norman Lewis was a 20th century abstract expressionist painter who used his art as a form of social activism and a way to express his opinions on race relations and poverty. He was born in Harlem, spent his early years training and travelling, then went on to be an extremely influential expressionist artist and civil rights activist. He worked mostly on pieces describing black oppression through a combination of vivid colors and black on a tall vertical canvas. His most notable piece is called Migrating Birds, and while it didn't conform to his usual style, it still exhibits his sense of duality with light and dark, only between white and gold. Toward the end of his life, he focused mostly on depictions of nature rather than political commentaries.