A Celebration of Great African-American Artists of the 20th Century
Romare Bearden
Largely self-taught, Romare Bearden was one of the most important African-American artists of the twentieth century. He was also an important spokesman for social change. As a youth, he befriended the Harlem Renaissance writers and artists he met while his mother headed the New York office of the African-American newspaper The Chicago Defender. Beginning in the 1930s, he sought to document African-American history using images from his own life. Born in Charlotte, North Carolina, Bearden was affiliated with New York University, the Art Students League of New York, and the Spiral Group, of which he was a co-founder.
Affiliation: New York University, The Art Students League of New York
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The Lamp, 1984 Romare Bearden often addressed important landmarks of African-American history. The Lamp commemorates the historic 1954 Brown v. Board of Education ruling that made segregated schools illegal. Constructing his figures with his characteristic collage technique, Bearden shows two generations absorbed in reading as they share a single book. The intimate scene is illuminated by an old-fashioned lamp, a traditional symbol of the quest for knowledge. Defined with silver paint, the globe can reflect any real light that hits the print's surface. Largely self-taught, Romare Bearden was an important artistic spokesman for social change. |
Selma Burke
Elizabeth Catlett
Alex Corbbrey
Sam Gilliam
Lois Mailou Jones
Paul F. Keene, Jr.
Gwen Knight-Lawrence
Jacob Lawrence
Samella Lewis
Charles White
Hale Woodruff