Romare Bearden was an African-American artist famous for his collages.
Some Interesting Facts
* Had his first solo exhibition in 1940 in Harlem.
* Worked as a lead cartoonist and art editor for The Medley, a monthly journal.
* Received the National Medal of Art in 1987, the year before he passed away, from President Ronald Reagan.
* Bearden experimented with all different types of art including: Collages (which is what he became most famous for), Chinese landscape and calligraphy, Byzantine mosaics, Japanese prints and African art.
* Recurring themes in Bearden's work are ritual, music and family.
* He sometimes designed sets for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Company.
Some Quotes from Romare Bearden
- "We look too much to museums. The sun coming up in the morning is enough."
- "Practically all great artists accept the influence of others. But... the artist with vision... by integrating what he has learned with his own experiences... molds something distinctly personal."
- "What you don't need is just as important as what you do need."
- "Painting is a self-disciplined activity that you have to learn by yourself."
- "Every artist wants his work to be permanent. But what is? The Aswan Dam covered some of the greatest art in the world. Venice is sinking. Great books and pictures were lost in the Florence floods. In the meantime we still enjoy butterflies."
- "When I conjure these memories, they are of the present to me, because after all, the artist is a kind of enchanter in time."
A couple of Art Pieces by Romare Bearden
Ah! Look at me, learning history.
ReplyDeleteThis is terribly interesting and informative. ^_^
I really enjoyed his quotes.