The Art of Romare Bearden - Softcover

Bearden, Romare; Fine, Ruth E.; Corlett, Mary Lee; National Gallery Of Art (U. S.)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0894683020 ISBN 13: 9780894683022

Publisher: Natl Gallery of Art, 2003

Synopsis

One of America's most innovative artists, Romare Bearden (1911-1988) made colorful and passionate images that reflected his life in a time of creative ferment. His influences ranged from the old masters to African art, as well as the world around him: popular religion and ritual, jazz clubs and brothels, the history and literature of his time, and the places he lived (the rural South, Pittsburgh and Harlem, the Caribbean island of St. Martin). The resulting images are fresh and evocative, filled with quirky details and rhythmic forms. This authoritative and beautiful book, which accompanies a major retrospective opening at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., provides a provocative and absorbing look at a beloved artist. The Art of Romare Bearden showcases compelling examples of his pioneering work: complex collages and photostats; watercolors, gouaches, and oils; little-known landscapes; his only known sculpture; costume designs; and book illustrations. The book

About this title

Review:

It takes a special kind of book to paint the full picture of Romaire Bearden's artistic life. While quietly wrestling with what it meant to be a black American artist at mid-century, Bearden opened himself to a world of cultural influences. He found inspiration in Benin bronzes and paintings by Duccio; the Bible and Buddhism; The Odyssey and the blues; contemporary urban life and the rural lore of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. The Art of Romaire Bearden offers a wise and thoughtful assessment of Bearden in the social context of his life and times. In the graceful lead essay, Ruth E. Fine traces Bearden's career from its beginnings in the mid-1930s, when—as a newly-minted New York University grad—he toiled by day as a social worker and painted at night. Bearden's best-known works are his Dada-influenced photomontages, begun in the mid-1960s, which created a visual equivalent for a disjunctive era of triumph and tragedy for African-Americans. His output also included stunning book illustrations and costume designs, political cartoons, incisive essays about the role of the black artist and even popular songs. More than 200 color illustrations display Bearden’s coloristic wizardry as a master of painted collage and lyrical landscape. The book accompanies an exhibition assembled by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. (through Jan. 4, 2004) which travels to San Francisco, Dallas, New York and Atlanta. —Cathy Curtis

About the Author:

Ruth E. Fine, curator of special projects in modern art at the National Gallery of Art, has written or contributed essays to numerous books on American art, including works on Roy Lichtenstein, Georgia O'Keeffe, and Helen Frankenthaler. Jacqueline Francis teaches art history at the University of Michigan. Rocío Aranda-Alvarado is assistant curator at the Jersey City Museum, New Jersey. Sarah Kennel is curatorial and exhibition assistant for the department of photographs, National Gallery of Art. Nnamdi Elleh is assistant professor of architecture at the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning, University of Cincinnati. Abdul Goler is a Henry Luce Scholar in the Seton Hall Masters in Musem Professions Program.

About this edition

• Publisher: Natl Gallery of Art
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0894683020
• ISBN 13: 9780894683022
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 334