Romare Bearden

Private Collection, Boulder (acquired circa 2001)

Acquired by descent from the above by the present owner

"You have to begin somewhere [...] so you put something down. Then you put something else with it, and then you see how that works, and maybe you try something else and so on, and the picture grows in that way."

Romare Bearden

The present work showcases Romare Bearden's deep appreciation of jazz music, an admiration fostered by growing up during the Harlem Renaissance and being surrounded by musicians such as Duke Ellington. Jazz influence is readily apparent in Bearden’s collage compositions, which reflect the improvisational nature of jazz. The rhythmic quality of Jazz Musicians is conveyed through Bearden’s layering of paper and gestural brushstrokes that evoke fluid motion and imbue the work with a sense of melody.