by Deborah Akers HOUGHTON MIFFLIN

Transcription

1 ROMARE BEARDEN by Deborah Akers HOUGHTON MIFFLIN

2 ROMARE BEARDEN by Deborah Akers ILLUSTRATION CREDIT: Susan Carlson PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS: Cover Summertime, 1967, Romare Bearden. Collage of paper and synthetic polymer paint on compostion board. 56 x 44 ; tp Blue Lady, 1955, Romare Bearden. Oil on canvas. 40 x 31 ; 3 Family, 1986, Romare Bearden. Collage on wood. 28 x 20 ; 5 AP Photo/F. Ruesch; 6 Bettmann/Corbis; 7 Buddy Jenssen/Super Stock; 9 The Visitation, 1942, Romare Bearden. Oil. 30 x 47 ; 11 ArenaPal/Topham/The Image Works; 12 Summertime, 1967, Romare Bearden. Collage of paper and synthetic polymer paint on compostion board. 56 x 44 ; 13 Photodisc/ SuperStock; 14 Blue Lady, 1955, Romare Bearden. Oil on canvas. 40 x 31. All art by Romare Bearden is Romare Bearden Foundation/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY Copyright by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system without the prior written permission of the copyright owner unless such copying is expressly permitted by federal copyright law. With the exception of nonprofit transcription into Braille, Houghton Mifflin is not authorized to grant permission for further uses of this work. Permission must be obtained from the individual copyright owner as identified herein. Address requests for permission to make copies of Houghton Mifflin material to School Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Company, 222 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA Printed in China ISBN-13: ISBN-10: RRD

3 Table of Contents Family : Family Travels : An Artist Begins : Searching for a Voice : Exploring New Horizons : Listen to the Music : Piecing It Together 12 An Accomplished Life 14

4 Family Look carefully at this picture. It is a portrait of a family, gathered to welcome a new baby. At first glance, this picture looks as if it were painted. But when you look more closely, you will discover that the rich, glorious colors used by the artist actually come from pasted pieces of paper. The picture is called Family. Like Romare Bearden, the artist who created the piece, Family is a colorful combination of many styles and influences. Family can tell you a lot about the life of Romare Bearden. 3

5 : Family Travels Romare Bearden was born in North Carolina in When he was three years old, his family decided to move to New York City. During that time, many African American families were moving from the South to northern cities like New York. Bronx They wanted to escape segregation and find work. Harlem The laws in the South had East Harlem ruined many lives, and many people were ready for a fresh start. Manhattan 0 1 mile Queens Hudson River Many African Americans moved to neighborhoods like Harlem, in New York City. New Jersey N Brooklyn 4

6 During his childhood, Romare made many visits to his grandparents home in North Carolina. These visits gave him many rich stories and pictures of life in the South that he would later use in his art. Romare s grandparents later moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and he visited them there. In Pittsburgh, he saw another side of life. Rather than barns and farmland, he saw trains streak by crowded apartment buildings. When creating his art, Romare would often draw from his childhood experiences. 5

7 : An Artist Begins Romare s life in Harlem also gave him ideas. In the 1920s, Harlem had become a center for artists, musicians, and writers. This exciting time became known as the Harlem Renaissance. The Bearden home was a gathering place for artists and writers. In 1926, Romare had his first art lesson from a neighbor named Eugene Baily. He also hung around the studio of a friend who was a sculptor. Living in Harlem gave Romare many ideas for his art. 6

8 Romare took many art classes in college. In 1929, Romare began his college studies. Though he majored in education, he also was influenced by many African American artists. He became involved in many art and social groups and even joined a baseball team! During his college years, Romare also found the time to take several art classes at night. He studied drawing and painting, working hard to build his skills as an artist. 7

9 : Searching for a Voice During college, Romare was concerned about the rights of African Americans. He drew political cartoons for several student newspapers in order to share his feelings. In 1935, after graduating from New York University, Romare got a job as a social worker. He worked with people who had recently immigrated to the New York area. Even with a busy schedule, Romare continued to create art during his free time. Starting in 1935, Romare sent cartoons to the Baltimore Afro- American newspaper every week for two years. The newspaper was first published in 1892 by a former slave. 8

10 Romare painted stories about his past. Romare had his first solo art show in Harlem in At the time, he was trying out many different styles. For example, sometimes he would model a piece after a painting by Pablo Picasso, one of his favorite artists. The show also included paintings based on Romare s experiences in New York, and from his childhood. Romare was starting to find his style as an artist. 9

11 : Exploring New Horizons In the 1940s, Romare also began writing, and he published several books and articles. In 1950, Romare decided to take some time off from work to focus on his art. He went to Paris and attended a famous art school called the Sorbonne Institute. At the Sorbonne, he studied artistic styles from all over the world and met many famous artists. These colorful experiences were like a feast that fed Romare s appetite for art. Romare served in the United States Army during World War II. Because of this, the government paid for his studies at the Sorbonne. 10

12 : Listen to the Music In the 1950s, Romare began to write music. He published several jazz songs that were performed by well-known singers. Music had always been a big part of Romare s life. In 1954, Romare married Nanette Rohan, a dancer who owned a dance company. Romare designed costumes and sets for many of her group s performances. This led him to work with other dance companies. Romare wrote jazz songs during the 1950s. 11

13 : Piecing It Together Romare started to create new images by piecing together torn or cut photographs, newspapers, or other printed material. This new collage style was a combination of several images yanked from many different places that he then pasted onto a board. Sometimes Romare smeared the collage with a stroke of paint. This art form that Romare began later in life is what he is best known for today. Collage was an exciting new style for Romare. 12

14 St. Martin is a beautiful island. After Romare retired from his social work job in 1969, he was busier than ever. He showed his paintings, drawings, and collages in galleries, and still found time for art and community organizations. In 1972, he and Nanette built a house on the Caribbean island of St. Martin, where Nanette had grown up. They lived there part-time for many years. The bright colors of the island inspired many new pieces of Romare s art. 13

15 An Accomplished Life Romare Bearden died in Looking back over his life, it is not surprising that Romare grew up to use so many different types of art to tell the story of his life. It is truly amazing how just one man was able to create so many memorable paintings, collages, and even pieces of music. Romare must have filled every minute of his day with art! Romare never stopped exploring new artistic styles. 14

16 Responding TARGET VOCABULARY Word Builder The word ruined has the same meaning as the word wrecked. What are some other pairs of words that have the same meaning? Copy and complete the chart below. Word 1 Word 2 ruined beautiful? wrecked pretty? Write About It Text to Self What kind of art do you enjoy? Write a paragraph describing a painting, sculpture, or drawing that you like. Briefly describe the type of art form as well as the materials that were used to create it. Use one word from the Word Builder. 15

17 TARGET VOCABULARY concerned feast glorious model ruined schedule smeared streak studio yanked TARGET STRATEGY Visualize Use text details to form pictures in your mind of what you are reading. What vocabulary word rhymes with the part of the body a woodpecker uses to peck a tree with? 16

18 Level: R DRA: 40 Social Studies Strategy: Visualize Word Count: 1, Build Vocabulary HOUGHTON MIFFLIN Online Leveled Books ISBN-13: ISBN-10: