The Art of Romare Bearden

This book was published on the occasion of a major retrospective of Romare Bearden's work at the National Gallery of Art. The lead essay by curator Ruth Fine deftly navigates Bearden's multifaceted artistic and personal life, a collage inspired by a world of cultural influences from the rural lore of North Carolina to Buddhism. The breadth of the exhibition is exhaustive and stunning. Much of the art was loaned by private collections, and has rarely been viewed by the public. In addition to reproducing examples of his well-known collages, photostats and watercolors, it includes book illustrations, program covers, paintings in oil and gouache, murals, costume designs, and his only known sculpture. It also compares Bearden's work with some of its possible influences; for example, Bearden's collage "Down Home, Also" (1971) and Picasso's "Sleeping Peasants" (1919) though of course, Bearden always makes the image his own. In addition to Fine's essay, 244 color plates and 86 black-and-white illustrations, the book offers five additional essays which place Bearden's life and work in the wider history of American society and art. For example, Jacqueline Francis' "Reading Bearden" explores what he read as well as what he wrote. An indispensable book that finally puts all the pieces together.

To call Romare Bearden a "black artist" is a hopeless exercise in trying to pigeonhole an enormously gifted human being. While supporting himself as a caseworker for the New York City Department of Social Services, Bearden turned out works of jaw-dropping skill and artistic talent. His inspiration ranged from Homer to the Bible to current events, and each was a vivid expression of black life in the Americas. Some of the best examples of his output are represented in this volume. The book is gorgeously illustrated and Ruth Fine's excellent narrative helps us get a deeper insight into one of America's finest artists.