When I visited the High Arts Museum to see the Obama portraits, I was introduced to Artist with Painting and Model.
Recognized as one of the most creative and original visual artists of the twentieth century, Romare Bearden, had a prolific and distinguished career.
Bearden's early work focused on unity and cooperation within the African-American community. After a period during the 1950s when he painted more abstractly, this theme reemerged in his collage works of the 1960s. The New York Times described Bearden as "the nation's foremost collagist" in his 1988 obituary.[1] Bearden became a founding member of the Harlem-based art group known as The Spiral, formed to discuss the responsibility of the African-American artist in the civil rights movement.
What drew me to this piece, was the layered color scheme and collage-style that Bearden is so well-known for. The rich browns of his models made me feel connected to this piece. I found it interesting that the piece of his easle is not the model standing there herself.
Romare Bearden’s richly layered self-portrait gives us a rare glimpse into his studio space and artistic practice.
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