The Art of Romare Bearden

Published in conjunction with the National Gallery's recent retrospective, this oversized volume offers a look at Romare Bearden's (1911-1988) creative history, critical essays on his work and origins, and plates of his paintings, sketches and vibrant signature collages. Fine, a curator at the National Gallery, sketches Bearden's biography swiftly but with detail, describing the North Carolina native's family life during the Harlem Renaissance in New York (their circle included Langston Hughes, Duke Ellington and Paul Robeson), his influential early friendships and the political cartoons with which he began his artistic career. A handful of thoughtful essays by art history scholars and curators piece together Bearden's influences, reading habits and the range of responses his work evoked. They emphasize Bearden's sense of rootedness in Western art and the""selective appropriation of canonical images"" that became essential in his expression of African-Americans' complex identity and experience. Bearden's works are juxtaposed here with those of other ages and places--from Renaissance painter Duccio di Buoninsegna to Impressionist Degas, and from African sculpture to works by Picasso and Matisse. The""bibliophile"" Bearden was an avid reader and writer whose lifelong scholarship informed his reflections on art. The written record he left behind, both in published essays and unpublished letters,""affords a rare opportunity to consider art as a result of thinking and reasoning"" instead of romantically springing forth from the""sensitive soul's churning depths."" This is a discerning retrospective that will appeal most to those interested in understanding Bearden's artistic inspiration and intellectual breadth. 224 color photos, 86 b&w illustrations.