Romare Bearden, in his army uniform, a photograph taken by Carl Van Vechten, 1944

Romare Bearden, (September 2, 1911, in Charlotte, North Carolina—March 11, 1988 in New York, New York) was an African-American artist and writer. He worked in several media including, cartoons, oils, and collage. Image File history File links Romare_Bearden. ... Image File history File links Romare_Bearden. ... Carl Van Vechten (June 17, 1880 – December 21, 1964) was an American writer and photographer who was a patron of the Harlem Renaissance and the literary executor of Gertrude Stein. ... September 2 is the 245th day of the year (246th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Nickname: Location in Mecklenburg County in the state of North Carolina Coordinates: Country United States State North Carolina Counties Mecklenburg County, North Carolina Government  - Mayor Pat McCrory, (R) Area  - City  280. ... March 11 is the 70th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (71st in leap years). ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... NY redirects here. ... Languages Predominantly American English Religions Protestantism (chiefly Baptist and Methodist); Roman Catholicism; Islam Related ethnic groups Sub-Saharan Africans and other African groups, some with Native American groups. ... The definition of an artist is wide-ranging and covers a broad spectrum of activities to do with creating art, practising the arts and/or demonstrating an art. ... The term writer can apply to anyone who creates a written work, but the word more usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, or those who have written in many different forms. ... A cartoon is any of several forms of illustrations with varied meanings that evolved from its original meaning. ... Natural olive oil Synthetic motor oil An oil is any substance that is in a viscous liquid state (oily) at ambient temperatures or slightly warmer, and is both hydrophobic (immiscible with water, literally water fearing) and lipophilic (miscible with other oils, literally fat loving). This general definition includes compound classes... A collage composed of magazine articles and pictures Collage (From the French: , to stick) is regarded as a work of visual arts made from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole. ...

Bearden completed his studies at New York University (NYU), graduating with a degree in education. His education was interrupted by stretches of time he spent as a professional baseball player in the Negro Leagues. At NYU, Bearden took extensive courses in art and was a lead cartoonist and then art editor for the Eucleian Society monthly journal The Medley. New York University (NYU) is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational institution in New York City. ... The Eucleian Society is a Student Society begun at New York University in 1832. ...

Mr. Bearden had wide-ranging interests and abilities. He wrote and published articles on numerous topics and created political cartoons. He designed costumes and sets for prominent dance and theater companies, illustrated books by influential authors, co-wrote books about African American art and culture and composed songs. He was also offered an opportunity to play professional baseball for the Philadelphia Athletics, if he would agree to “pass as white”—an offer he refused.[1]

He studied under German artist George Grosz at the Art Students' League in 1936 and 1937. Shortly thereafter he began the first of his stints as a case worker for the New York Department of Social Services. During World War II, Bearden joined the army in the United States Army, serving from 1942 until 1945. Following that time he lived in Europe for several years. George Grosz (July 26, 1893 – July 6, 1959) was a prominent member of the Berlin Dada and New Objectivity group, known especially for his savagely caricatural drawings of Berlin life in the 1920s. ... The Art Students League is the name of several American art schools or associations for promotion of art education For the New-York-based school (founded 1875), presumed model for the others, see Art Students League of New York For the Denver-based school and association, see Art Students League... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The United States Army is the largest branch of the armed forces of the United States. ... 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... Year 1945and died 2007 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ...

Bearden turned to music, co-writing the hit song “Sea Breeze", which was recorded by Billy Eckstine and Dizzy Gillespie; it is still considered a jazz classic.[2] In 1954, at age 42, he married Nanette (Rohan) Bearden, a 27 year old accomplished dancer and noted beauty from St. Maarten who herself became an artist and critic eventually creating the Bearden Foundation to assist young artists. Nanette Bearden was also instrumental in convincing her husband to focus on his independent art. Billy Eckstine (8 July 1914 – 8 March 1993), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as William Clarence Eckstein. ... John Birks Dizzy Gillespie (October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was born in Cheraw, South Carolina. ... Saint Martin - NASA NLT Landsat 7 (Visible Color) Satellite Image Saint Martin is a tropical island in the northeast Caribbean, approximately 150 miles east of Puerto Rico. ...

In "The Art of Romare Bearden", Ruth Fine describes his themes as "universal". "A well-read man whose friends were other artists, writers, poets and jazz musicians, Bearden mined their worlds as well as his own for topics to explore. He took his imagery from both the everyday rituals of African American rural life in the south and urban life in the north, melding those American experiences with his personal experiences and with the themes of classical literature, religion, myth, music and daily human ritual."

During the 1940s, his style combined African culture and symbols with a stylized realism. Paintings such as his 1948, The Family demonstrate his interest in Cubism and the influence that the style had on his work. After a stay in Paris, Bearden's work became more abstract, using layers of oil paint to produce muted, hidden effects. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about the capital of France. ...

During the 1960s civil rights movement, his focus shifted again, this time to collage, which is considered his best work. Excellent examples are in his 1963 series of collages, Prevalence of Ritual. His later highly prized print collection A Graphic Odyssey was the work of the last fifteen years of his life. [3] A collage composed of magazine articles and pictures Collage (From the French: , to stick) is regarded as a work of visual arts made from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole. ...

Published works

Romare Bearden is the author of.

• Lil Dan, the Drummer Boy, New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003

Romare Bearden is the coauthor of,

• with Harry Henderson, Six Black Masters of American Art, New York: Doubleday, 1972
• with Carl Holty, The Painter's Mind, Taylor & Francis, 1981
• with Harry Henderson, of A History of African-American Artists. From 1792 to present, New York: Pantheon Books 1993

Honors achieved

• Founded the 306 Group, a club for Harlem artists
• In 1966 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters
• In 1972 he was elected to the National Institute of Arts and Letters
• In 1987 he was awarded the National Medal of Arts

The Apollo Theater on 125th Street; the Hotel Theresa is visible in the background. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... The American Academy of Arts and Letters is an organization whose goal is to foster, assist, and sustain an interest in American literature, music, and art. ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Langston Hughes, National Institure of Arts and Letters This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The National Medal of Arts is an award and title bestowed on selected honorees by the National Endowment for the Arts. ...

Works

• She-Ba
• Wrapping it Up At the Lafayette
• Summertime
• Showtime
• Return of the Prodigal Son
• Last of the Blue Devils
• Abstract
• Fisherman
• Falling Star
• The Lantern
• Morning of the Rooster
• The Woodshed
• Piano Lesson
• Carolina Shout
• Rocket to the Moon
• Prevalence of Ritual: Tidings

Sources

• Vaughn, William (2000). Encyclopedia of Artists. Oxford University Press, Inc. ISBN 0-19-521572-9. 
• Yenser, Thomas (editor) (1930-1931-1932 Third Edition). Who's Who in Colored America: A Biographical Dictionary of Notable Living Persons of African Descent in America. Who's Who in Colored America, Brooklyn, New York.  [Provides biography of mother, Bessye J. Bearden]
• Romare Bearden Foundation Biography. Retrieved on October 4, 2005.

Bessye J. Bearden was an American journalist and mother of artist Romare Bearden. ... October 4 is the 277th day of the year (278th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• African American art

African American art is a broad term describing the visual arts of the American black community. ...

External links

• The Art of Romare Bearden at the National Gallery of Art, Washington
• Marshall Arts presents Romare Bearden
• Bearden Foundation biography
• Romare Bearden Images: Hollis Taggart Galleries
• "Romare Bearden: The Music in His Art, A Pictorial Odyssey" - by Ronald David Jackson. video, 2005
• Romare Bearden Artwork Examples on AskART.