Romare Bearden 1911-1988

Duke Ellington

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

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

The Romare Bearden Foundation http://www.beardenfoundation.org/artlife/beardensart/beardensart.shtml 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?

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

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

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

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