GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Romare Bearden was one of the great collage artists of the 20th century. In this jigsaw-like construction, he deftly assembled painted paper fragments, bits of magazine and newspaper images, and printed fabric in an image of three musicians, each with an instrument. Whether playing for an audience or for casual enjoyment, the trio projects a lively feeling of movement and rhythm. Bearden produced many works celebrating musicians during his forty-year career. He brought the improvisational skills of jazz to his collages, in which he constantly experimented with color, texture, and composition. In Soul Three, as in many of his collages, Bearden constructed the figures’ faces from fragments of reproductions of African masks and sculptures, another important inspiration for the artist.
Excerpt from
Bonnie Pitman, ed., Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2012), 285.
NOTES
Created in 1968
Object File Reviewed
"I first put down several rectangles of color. Then I might paste a photograph, say, anything just to get me started. I try to move up and down the canvas, always moving up and across.What I'm trying to do then is establish a vertical and a horizontal control of the canvas."
--Romare Bearden
Fragments of painted paper, magazine and newspaper images, references to African masks, and printed copies of fabrics animate the surface of Romare Bearden's collage of three musicians, giving it a sense of movement and rhythm. Perhaps based on his memories of friends playing music in Pittsburgh or New York City, this work is one of many celebrating musicians produced over the artist's forty-year career.
One of the great collage artists of the 20th century, Bearden strikes an eloquent balance between the subject matter and artistic styles of modern art, the cultural history of Africa, and the rich complexities of African-American life.
William Keyse Rudolph
The Pauline Gill Sullivan Associate Curator of American Art
April 2005
See DMA game on Arturo Stories- http://arturosartstories.org/welcome.htm This site was taken down 4/27/18 and pending renewal.
- Romare Bearden played semi-professional baseball and was offered a chance to play professionally. He turned down that opportunity because he was told that he could only play professionally if he pretended to be white.---this fun fact was found here: https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/03/the-man-who-spurned-a-baseball-career-to-become-a-renowned-artist/254451/
Bearden, Romare (American, 1911-1988)
Cultures
Geography
Place of origin: New York (New York/United States): TGN: 7007567
Process/materials
Paper and fabric collage on board
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
From 2004: Dallas Museum of Art, General Acquisitions Fund and Roberta Coke Camp Fund, purchased from Michael Rosenfield Gallery, New York
AUDIO ASSETS
UMO: 13309048 Soul Three, Bearden Seabreeze from Branford Marsalis Quartet
UMO: 13313252 Icons of the Collection: Romare Bearden
VIDEO ASSETS
IMAGE ASSETS
WEB RESOURCES
- Romare Bearden Foundation~Learn more about the artist and his work from the Romare Bearden Foundation.
- Smithsonian Archives of American Art~Read this transcript of an oral history interview of Romare Bearden conducted by Henri Ghent for the Archives of American Art in 1968.
- Museum of Modern Art~Compare Bearden's Soul Three to another work with elements of collage and similar subject matter, Pablo Picasso's Three Musicians from 1921.
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES
FUN FACTS
- Quote from the artist about his process: "I first put down several rectangles of color. Then I might paste a photograph, say, anything just to get me started. I try to move up and down the canvas, always moving up and across. What I'm trying to do then is establish a vertical and a horizontal control of the canvas."
- Romare Bearden played semi-professional baseball and was offered a chance to play professionally. He turned down the opportunity because he was told that he could only play professionally if he pretended to be white.
- Romare Bearden was not only an artist and a baseball player, but he was also a writer and a musician.
TEACHING IDEAS
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Apply to objects where number equals 2004.11
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General Description
Romare Bearden was one of the great collage artists of the 20th century. In this jigsaw-like construction, he deftly assembled painted paper fragments, bits of magazine and newspaper images, and printed fabric in an image of three musicians, each with an instrument. Whether playing for an audience or for casual enjoyment, the trio projects a lively feeling of movement and rhythm. Bearden produced many works celebrating musicians during his forty-year career. He brought the improvisational skills of jazz to his collages, in which he constantly experimented with color, texture, and composition. In Soul Three, as in many of his collages, Bearden constructed the figures’ faces from fragments of reproductions of African masks and sculptures, another important inspiration for the artist.
Excerpt from
Bonnie Pitman, ed., Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2012), 285.
Fun Facts
- Quote from the artist about his process: "I first put down several rectangles of color. Then I might paste a photograph, say, anything just to get me started. I try to move up and down the canvas, always moving up and across. What I'm trying to do then is establish a vertical and a horizontal control of the canvas."
- Romare Bearden played semi-professional baseball and was offered a chance to play professionally. He turned down the opportunity because he was told that he could only play professionally if he pretended to be white.
- Romare Bearden was not only an artist and a baseball player, but he was also a writer and a musician.
Archival Resources
Web Resources
- Romare Bearden Foundation~Learn more about the artist and his work from the Romare Bearden Foundation.
- Smithsonian Archives of American Art~Read this transcript of an oral history interview of Romare Bearden conducted by Henri Ghent for the Archives of American Art in 1968.
- Museum of Modern Art~Compare Bearden's Soul Three to another work with elements of collage and similar subject matter, Pablo Picasso's Three Musicians from 1921.
Notes
Created in 1968
Object File Reviewed
"I first put down several rectangles of color. Then I might paste a photograph, say, anything just to get me started. I try to move up and down the canvas, always moving up and across.What I'm trying to do then is establish a vertical and a horizontal control of the canvas."
--Romare Bearden
Fragments of painted paper, magazine and newspaper images, references to African masks, and printed copies of fabrics animate the surface of Romare Bearden's collage of three musicians, giving it a sense of movement and rhythm. Perhaps based on his memories of friends playing music in Pittsburgh or New York City, this work is one of many celebrating musicians produced over the artist's forty-year career.
One of the great collage artists of the 20th century, Bearden strikes an eloquent balance between the subject matter and artistic styles of modern art, the cultural history of Africa, and the rich complexities of African-American life.
William Keyse Rudolph
The Pauline Gill Sullivan Associate Curator of American Art
April 2005
See DMA game on Arturo Stories- http://arturosartstories.org/welcome.htm This site was taken down 4/27/18 and pending renewal.
- Romare Bearden played semi-professional baseball and was offered a chance to play professionally. He turned down that opportunity because he was told that he could only play professionally if he pretended to be white.---this fun fact was found here: https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/03/the-man-who-spurned-a-baseball-career-to-become-a-renowned-artist/254451/
Bearden, Romare (American, 1911-1988)
Cultures
Geography
Place of origin: New York (New York/United States): TGN: 7007567
Process/materials
Paper and fabric collage on board
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
From 2004: Dallas Museum of Art, General Acquisitions Fund and Roberta Coke Camp Fund, purchased from Michael Rosenfield Gallery, New York
AUDIO ASSETS
UMO: 13309048 Soul Three, Bearden Seabreeze from Branford Marsalis Quartet
UMO: 13313252 Icons of the Collection: Romare Bearden
VIDEO ASSETS
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