Who is the Negro Artist referred to here?

That would be the speaker of the narrative. Hughes opens the essay by relating a short anecdote about a promising young African-American poet who says, "I want to be a poet—not a Negro poet" (1). This statement, as Hughes demonstrates, reflects an undeserved idolization of white poetry and culture that relegates Black culture to the undesirable. This poet is the target of Hughes, who claims that he is "ashamed" for this poet and uses this anecdote at both the beginning and the end of the essay to bring it full circle. Many have speculated that Hughes here refers to fellow poet Countee Cullen, with whom Hughes often disagreed about the utility of poetry. However, the poet remains unnamed throughout the essay.