Bearden's Legacy
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Bearden continued to refine his style of collage painting throughout the 70's and 80's. He continued to approach his art as if he was a student; always acquiring more knowledge, yet continuing to incorporate what he has already learned. Author Mary Schmidt Campbell summarizes, "Bearden incorporated elements of previous works, reconfiguring them into his new art form. Brown kraft paper (used as early as the 1940s) streaked with brilliant color recalls experiments in the fifties...traces of graphite drawings that he did as early as the 1930s. Some of the photographs he uses appear to be photostats or photocopies of his Abstract Expressionist paintings of the late fifties...They...are inserted amid photographs of African masks and peoples' faces and hands. It is as if Bearden were documenting his own art history for posterity," (48).
During the 70's, Bearden returned to using Western myths in his paintings but in altering certain details, such as making the figures black, made them pertain to African-Americans. Prime examples of this are in his paintings The Fall of Troy and Prologue to Troy, No. 2 which is a variation of Lucas Cranach the Elder's painting "The Judgment of Paris."
Bearden also continued to develop his usage of color in his paintings. During the late 70's and 80's, Bearden began using more vibrant, tropical colors in his paintings. During this time, he had become heavily influenced by the tropical environment of St. Maarten. His wife's family home was in St. Maarten and they would frequently visit the island. School Bell Time, The Sea Nymph and The Piano Lesson (which was the inspiration behind Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson's play of the same name) incorporate his Caribbean-influenced color schemes.
Around early 1986, Bearden began experiencing severe pain, especially in cold weather. The joints in his neck and back would often stiffen.
In June of 1987, President Ronald Reagan awarded Romare Bearden the National Medal of Arts--the United States' highest award of recognition in the arts.
On October 16, 1987, Bearden told his pupil, Andre Thibault, that he had cancer. On January 26, 1988, Bearden checked into New York Hospital. The following day he suffered a seizure and went into a coma for six weeks. He died on March 12, 1988 (Schwartzman 301-305).
Although Romare Bearden has received his fair amount of exposure and many accolades, his place in the historical canon of contemporary American art still seems inadequately represented. Bearden's creativity and contributions were truly extraordinary. His insatiable desire to learn, and academic approach to art, was not only astonishing but very inspirational. One would only hope that all artists show that same level of commitment and interest in their field. However, there are many sites, books, articles, etc. that will mention many of the art styles that Bearden participated in, and even contributed original variations to (such as collage), but fail to mention his name in their assessment. Bearden's importance to contemporary African-American art is arguably unsurpassed. However, the arts are not a limited field. Bearden always saw art as a universal language. This is why he consistently wanted African-American art to receive thorough interpretations from art critics--not to just be seen as "Negro art." Bearden's universal approach to learning from the master artists, and applying themes and techniques from other cultures, exemplified his personal commitment to promoting art as universal. Bearden's legacy is well documented in academia, as well as some museums and private collections. However, an artist of his magnitude needs to be secured a prominent position as not only one of the great contributors to African -American contemporary art, but one of the great contributors to American contemporary art and to Art History, in general.
Works Cited:
Campbell, Mary Schmidt and Patton, Sharon F. Memory and Metaphor: The Art of Romare Bearden, 1940-1987. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1991.
Schwartzman, Myron. Romare Bearden His Life & Art. New York, NY: Henry N. Abrams, Inc., 1990.
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