Romare Bearden: The Caribbean Dimension [Hardcover]

Sally Price (Author), Richard Price (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 30, 2006

Romare Bearden (1911-1988), the great African American artist, spent much of the last two decades of his life on the Caribbean island of St. Martin. This tropical experience influenced not only the work (mainly watercolors) that he produced while in the region but also the imagery of rural North Carolina and Harlem that he created during his final and most productive years. Best known for his paintings and collages of jazz and the rural South, he was honored by a major retrospective of his life's work at the National Gallery of Art in 2003.

Bearden was explicit that, for him, the Caribbean was vital. "Art will go where the energy is. I find a great deal of energy in the Caribbean. . . . It's like a volcano there; there's something unfinished underneath that still smolders."

In this full-color work, lavishly illustrated with 130 Bearden paintings as well as many photos of him and his friends in St. Martin, distinguished scholars Sally Price and Richard Price explore Bearden's Caribbean experience with an insider's eye. Friends of Bearden, such as poet Derek Walcott and writer Albert Murray, contribute their critical assessments of Bearden's legacy, through interviews with the authors. Commentary by others, such as James Baldwin, Alvin Ailey, and Ralph Ellison, help round out the picture.

The book focuses on several themes that Bearden treated in his Caribbean work. In his "enchanted places," a lush forest provides the setting for sensuous female nudes. His "Obeah series" explores the mysteries of local religious life, depicting a variety of ritual specialists in trance. And his "Carnival series" bursts with the energy of that quintessential Caribbean celebration.

In this book, the Prices reassess Bearden's Caribbean experience, locating it at the very center of his artistic legacy.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Romare Bearden's radiantly hued and jazzily structured collages and paintings celebrating the rural South and Harlem are well known. But so grand and complexly detailed is his oeuvre, one crucial facet has been given short shrift: his Caribbean works. The professors Price now redress that omission in this bright and lively volume. Bearden's wife was born on the Caribbean island of St. Martin, and the couple lived there for much of the 1970s and 1980s, until his death in 1988. Bearden, an exemplary colorist, discovered a "new brilliance" beneath the tropical sun and in the most luminous of mediums, watercolors. He also took a more fluid approach to collage. Three breathtaking series dominate: one depicting "enchanted places," another focusing on Obeah rituals, and the third capturing the catharsis of carnival. The Prices have emulated Bearden's gift for assemblage by juxtaposing their illuminating commentary with that of earlier critics, Bearden's own writings, and the observations of the literature-loving artist's writer friends, including Albert Murray, Ralph Ellison, James Baldwin, and Derek Walcott. Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"A delightful visual voyage!"—Art Times

"With enough color to impress the most fervent fauvists, Romare Bearden features the pictorial flamboyance of Romare Bearden's impressive Caribbean oeuvre. A delightful visual voyage!"—Art Times (five out of five stars)

"No serious academic library American art history collection can be considered complete or comprehensive without the inclusion of Romare Bearden: The Caribbean Dimension."—Midwest Book Review

"Bright and lively. . . . The Prices have emulated Bearden's gift for assemblage by juxtaposing their illuminating commentary with that of earlier critics, Bearden's own writings, and the observations of the literature-loving artist's writer friends."—Booklist

"The Prices have opened the door for the public and the art world to assess a productive and artistically creative chapter in the life of an American original."—Choice

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press (May 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812239482
• ISBN-13: 978-0812239485
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 10.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #731,990 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No serious academic library American Art History collection can be considered complete or comprehensive without, January 4, 2007

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Romare Bearden: The Caribbean Dimension (Hardcover)

"Romare Bearden: The Caribbean Dimension", co-authored by Sally Price and her husband Richard (both of whom are professor of American Studies, Anthropology, and History at the College of William and Mary in Virginia) showcases the life and work of the African American artist Romare Bearden (1911-1988) and his Caribbean work during his last twenty years with its themes of 'enchanted places and lush forest settings for sensuous female nudes. Also included is his 'Carnival' series revealing through an artist's eye the quintessential nature of this annual Caribbean celebration. Best known for his paintings and collages of jazz and the rural South, Bearden's work was postumously recognized with an exhibition at the national Gallery of Art in 2003. Enhanced with the inclusion of 130 paintings, as well as a profusion of photographs of Bearden and his friends, "Romare Bearden" also incorporates poet Derek Walcott and writer Albuert Murray's critical assessments of Bearden's enduring legacy, along with the thoughts of such luminaries as James Baldwin, Alvin Alley, and Ralph Ellison. Simply stated, no serious academic library American Art History collection can be considered complete or comprehensive without the inclusion of "Romare Bearden: The Caribbean Dimension".

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Romare Bearden artwork, February 12, 2007

By 

C. Schmitz "artist" (Prescott, AZ) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Romare Bearden: The Caribbean Dimension (Hardcover)

This book is everything I want in an art book! A lot of large color reproductions, mainly. Also bioigraphical info and pictures of the artist and his milieu. And a reasonable price!