▁h ire ▁Lawrence ▁to ▁pose ▁for ▁them . ▁Jacob ▁Lawrence ▁considered ▁Ron ald ▁Joseph ▁to ▁be ▁a ▁very ▁intellectual ▁artist . ▁▁ ▁In ▁the ▁ 1 9 3 0 s , ▁Joseph ▁became ▁chairman ▁of ▁the ▁Har lem ▁Art ists ▁Gu ild ▁and ▁represented ▁it ▁in ▁Washington ▁with ▁Stuart ▁Davis ▁and ▁Hugo ▁G ell ert . ▁Ron ald ▁Joseph ▁was ▁also ▁a ▁particip ant ▁in ▁the ▁m ural ▁section ▁of ▁W PA ▁and ▁a ▁representative ▁of ▁the ▁Har lem ▁Art ists ' ▁Gu ild ▁to ▁the ▁New ▁York ▁World ' s ▁Fair ▁( 1 9 3 9 - 1 9 4 0 ). ▁ ▁Joseph ' s ▁early ▁oil ▁paint ings ▁were ▁influenced ▁by ▁Pic asso , ▁Bra que ▁and ▁other ▁European ▁artists ▁while ▁most ▁of ▁his ▁contempor aries ▁focused ▁on ▁social ▁real ism . ▁By ▁ 1 9 4 3 , ▁he ▁was ▁ha iled ▁by ▁art ▁historian ▁James ▁Por ter ▁as ▁New ▁York ' s ▁" for em ost ▁Neg ro ▁abstra ction ist ▁painter ". ▁His ▁past els ▁and ▁g ou aches ▁from ▁the ▁late ▁for ties ▁and ▁early ▁f ift ies ▁showed ▁a ▁highly ▁struct ured ▁abstra ction ▁combined ▁with ▁a ▁studied ▁sp ont ane ity . ▁Ron ald ▁Joseph ' s ▁fin ely ▁tun ed ▁abstra ctions ▁often ▁incorpor ated ▁represent ational ▁elements ▁along ▁with ▁apparently ▁" p urer " ▁forms . ▁He ▁described ▁this ▁aspect ▁of ▁his ▁work ▁in ▁these ▁terms : ▁" It ' s ▁not ▁abstract ▁and ▁abstract ▁at ▁the ▁same ▁time . ▁It '