Romare Bearden is an African American artist whose powerful works represent his life experiences. Bearden grew up in Harlem, but spent most of his early childhood in North Carolina were he was born in 1912. As a young man, Bearden had a flair for drawing and painting. He attended Boston University and later transferred to New York University. He studied at Art’s Student League in New York. Many of the influences in Bearden’s work came from artists that he met in New York and later in Paris. Among the artists that were influential to Bearden’s work were Brancusi, Leger, and Braque.
Bearden was not only gifted artistically but he was also a gifted athlete and star pitcher for Boston University’s baseball team. As a student, he studied his art under the renowned painter and cartoonist, George Grosz. For over a half of a century, Bearden did a majority of works in pen and ink, paintbrushes, paints, scraps of paper, and old photographs. These materials of scrap were used in order to deliver powerful massages concerning the African American life. Bearden used collage not only to express his own social issues but also to express the conflicts, barriers, and hardships faced by most African American in Harlem and everywhere.
Bearden’s deep feelings about African American people, family and memories of his childhood are reflected in his works. For the artist, creating collages was his very personal form of artistic expression. An example of a collage that Bearden created which represents his past is “Showtime” (1974). In this collage Bearden places great attention on the shiny trumpets that form an arch over the performer. This gesture or emphasis that is placed on the performer is Bearden’s way of showing his interest in jazz music and showing the passion that he has had since he was a boy growing up in New York.
If Romare Bearden had not become an artist, he might have been a musician. For a short time in 1950’s, he was a songwriter. He eventually went back to art, but music has always been important in his work. Bearden uses music themes in many of his collages. Bearden said that making collages is like making music. Bearden makes his collages with the use of everyday materials such as fabric scraps, and photos, arranging them as a musician would arrange notes. Bearden uses these very day materials to create a mood like a musician.
Bearden’s first collages were done around the 1960’s. This was during the time of the first Civil Rights movements. These movements were a result of African Americans being angry for having been treated as second class citizens. During this time, Bearden created “Prevalence of Ritual: Baptism” (1964). This work was done to not only reflect Bearden’s childhood in North Carolina but also to reflect many of the social and political issues of the 1960’s.
Bearden is best known for his creative collages and for him creating a collage is like making music. One of this most notable collaborations of visual art and music is the collage, “Blues at the Crossroads?” Bearden uses complex images and textures such as wallpaper, fabric, photos, sheet music to create this asymmetrical composition balance. He also uses enlarged details of fingers, mouths, trumpet parts, piano keys to suggests how all of these subjects are woven together.
Bearden traveled a long, road before becoming a well-known artist. He had his first show in 1965 in Washington, D.C. at the Corcoran Gallery. In 1967, Bearden was able to retire from his job and spent the majority of his time creating the collage for which he was best known. Bearden continued doing the creative collages that he is known for and loved up until his death in 1988.
