Blues from the Old Country

Label Text Romare Bearden described his collages, made through the spontaneous arrangement of overlapping fragments of paper of different colors, patterns, and textures, as inspired by the improvisational style of the blues and jazz music. Rooted in Black culture, these genres incorporate West African rhythms and the spirituals sung by the enslaved into a distinctively American musical style. The artist explained the process of collage as one of construction and deconstruction, saying “Well it’s like jazz: you do this and then you improvise.”
Published References"Romare Bearden: His Life & Art" by Myron Schwartzman, Harry N. Abrams, New York, 1991, ill. p. 239.

DimensionsOverall: 45 × 51 in. (114.3 × 129.5 cm)

Accession Number 1990.28

Classificationspainting

CopyrightARS

SignedRomare Bearden (l,l)

Portfolio/SeriesOf the Blues

ProvenanceArtist. (Cordier & Ekstrom Gallery, New York). Mr. E.T. Meredith, III, Des Moines [acquired by 1980]; Des Moines Art Center [gift of the previous, 1990]