1. Romare Bearden

2. Duke Ellington

3. Step 1: Describe
We are going to look at an artwork and describe what we see
How do we describe what we see?
Using words: nouns, adjectives
We can describe by:
looking at the artwork itself
gathering information from the credit line

4. Credit Line Used to gather information about an artwork
Gives us details
What kind of details can we gather from the credit line?
Artwork name
Artist
Date created
Materials or medium used
Size

5. The Romare Bearden Foundation
Oils
The Blue Lady
The Cotton Pickers
Gouache—deep watercolors; vibrant
Factory Workers
Casein—a part of cow’s milk sometimes combined with pigment to create a textured paint
Untitled (Piano Player)
Ask: What do you see in this work? What kinds of lines do you see? What kind of shapes do you notice? What is going on in this moment that Bearden has painted?
Ask: What is the mood of this painting? How is Bearden using color to make you feel that way?
New Orleans Marching Band
What do you notice about this painting? What in this painting is similar to Untitled (Piano Player)? What is different?
The Visitation
What do you think is going on in this picture? How do the subjects in the painting feel? How is that shown by the work? How are the subjects in the work interacting? What does the title of the work say about what is happening in it? How is this painting similar or different to Untitled (Piano Player) and New Orleans Marching Band? What do you notice about the colors?
Untitled (Trumpet, Trombone, Dancer)
How do the colors make you feel? How do the colors in this painting differ from Bearden’s other paintings relating to the same subject matter? What do you think that says about jazz music?
Watercolors
Four Standing Musicians
What do you see in this painting?
What colors do you notice?
What shapes do you see?
How does the title effect your perception of the work?
He Walks on Water
What do you see going on in this work?
Where are they?
How is this work different from Four Standing Musicians?
Open Market
What do you see happening in this work?
What sort of colors is Bearden using in this work (primaries)
What do you think might be going on between the characters in this painting?
Collages (Ask: what is a collage?)
The Family
What do you notice about this image?
How does the title effect what you see in the work?
What sorts of things did this “family” value based on the items you see in the work?
Mother and Child
What is different about this collage from Family?
What mood do the colors create? Why?
What is different about this background?
How do you think this work or other art works relate to where Bearden grew up?
The Sea God
What do you notice about this collage that is different than other subject matter Bearden has explored in his other works?
Based on the facial expression of the character, what sort of mood do you feel?
What do you notice about the background?

6. Step 2: Analysis What is analysis?
Looking closely at the elements of the artwork
Tells us how the work is organized
We can analyze a work by using the principles of art.
Principles of Art—rhythm/movement, harmony, unity, balance (asymmetrical or symmetrical), emphasis, pattern, proportion

7. Step 3: Interpretation What does it mean to interpret something?
To figure out the meaning and explain it
We want to figure out what Romare Bearden is saying to his audience
We want to make inferences or educated guesses about what the work could mean
Keep in mind symbolism

8. Step 4: Judgment
Judgment is the process of determining whether or not a work is successful
Things to consider when judging an artwork:
How well a work is designed
How well it communicates an idea
Craftsmanship
Originality
Different people will have different opinions

9. On the Back of Worksheet
What is one thing you learned from artist Romare Bearden?
Write or draw/sketch a place that is important to you
Write or draw/sketch a music artist or song that is important to you