Images of a master: Roman Bearden.Romare Bearden Photographs by Frank Stewart, David C. Driskell David C. Driskell ( June 7, 1931) is a scholar in the field of African American art as well as an accomplished artist in his own right. Driskell is currently an emeritus professor at the University of Maryland, College Park. A major publication, David C. Ruth Fine, Pomegranate pomegranate (pŏm`grănĭt, pŏm`ə–), handsome deciduous and somewhat thorny large shrub or small tree (Punica granatum , October 2004 $39.95, ISBN ISBN abbr. International Standard Book Number ISBN International Standard Book Number ISBN n abbr (= International Standard Book Number) → ISBN m 0-764-92979-8 We all benefit from the relationship that developed in the mid-1970s when Romare Bearden, the black master of 20th-century art, needed someone to take photographs of works he had recently completed. Frank Stewart, then a 20-something photographer had come to New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. to shoot Bearden for a film being made on 200 years of black art for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, also known as LACMA, is the official and world-renowned art museum of the County of Los Angeles, California, located on Wilshire Boulevard along Museum Row in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. . It's obvious that Bearden felt comfortable with Stewart, given the very relaxed nature of many of the photos found within this very noteworthy book. There are several very public shots, such as a joyous image from the opening of a 1980 show in Venice, which simply exudes warmth. But most of the photographs have a bit of a voyeuristic quality. As you turn the pages, you feel as if you are sneaking a peek at the master at work, or eavesdropping on a conversation with the not-just-folks folks who would stop in to visit him in his Long island studio. They included people as diverse as Halima Taha, who has emerged as one of the preeminent experts on black art, and playwright Ntozake Shange. Still, the reader, I think, will be most moved by the quiet, intimate moments. Stewart captures Bearden alone at his table creating his art, reclining on his couch and simply pondering his cats--to name just a few scenes. The photographs ably serve to give context to one of America's great masters. --Reviewed by Michael Days Michael Days is managing editor of The Philadelphia Daily News The Philadelphia Daily News is a tabloid newspaper that began publishing on March 31, 1925, under founding editor Lee Ellmaker. In its early years, it was dominated by crime stories, sports and sensationalism. By 1930, daily circulation of the morning paper exceeded 200,000. and an avid art collector. |
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