Picturing Places and Spaces

A view of a city densely packed with buildings and skyscrapers was captured by Romare Bearden in his fluid dabs of vibrant color. Buildings are just outlines with a grid-like arrangement of windows suggested by rows of blue and red dots. Bearden's approach yields a flat design, yet he conveys the energy of New York City with a huge sun shining overhead.

African American artist Romare Bearden had lived in the city of New York since his youth when his parents moved there from North Carolina. He studied at several universities but eventually entered the Art Students League in New York, 1937-38, where he was taught by George Grosz. Bearden joined the Harlem Artists Guild in 1935 and participated in group shows at the Harlem Community Arts Center. He was part of the informal group of artists, writers, dancers, and musicians known as "the studio," or "306" that provided support and a community for young African-American artists. During World War II, he enlisted in the army and was assigned to the 372nd Infantry Regiment, a segregated unit that served in the continental U.S. and Hawaii. Using the G.I. Bill of Rights, Bearden studied philosophy at the Sorbonne in Paris, 1950-1951. He returned to New York in 1952 and resumed painting in 1954. In the early 1960s, Bearden began making collages that captured the African American experience, and these are some of his best-known works.

New York Buildings #1 is one of many cityscapes he painted in the late 70s to 80s. In 1980 Bearden created a series of paintings of the New York skyline that appeared as the backdrop for the opening credits in Gloria, a film by John Cassavetes set in the city. Bearden's collage and watercolor cityscapes were featured in a 1990 exhibition of his work at the Sheldon Ross Gallery in Birmingham, MI. Sheldon Ross first gave Bearden a show in his gallery in 1971 and organized nine more before the 1990 exhibition. Ross was an advocate for and friend to Bearden. The Stamelos watercolor has a label from the Sheldon Ross Gallery on the back of the painting.