Romare Bearden
Romare Bearden was born in the south in 1911. When he was a toddler, his family moved to New York City to escape the hardship of African Americans in the south at that time. Most of his life was spent in New York, Pittsburgh and later in his life, St. Martin. As a child of a well-educated family in New York City, Romare was exposed to the culture, art, music, and literature of the Harlem Renaissance. He graduated from NYU with a degree in education, and began his art career there as a cartoonist.
Romare worked as a social worker in New York City and was very active in artistic and social issues. He created his art at night and on weekends, and his first exhibition was in Harlem in 1940. Throughout his career, Bearden created over 2000 pieces in many mediums, including oils, watercolors, drawings, monotypes murals, record albums, and even costume and set designs and sheet music, but he is probably best known for his collages. His art has been exhibited in many places including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and the National Gallery of Art. Bearden received the National Medal of Arts in 1987.
I was drawn to Bearden’s art when I saw his beautiful, intricate collages. I love the bright, vivid colors he used in many of them, and the depth he gave them with different papers, paints, and fabrics. I can also see that he reflects different views in his art, including the hardship and plight of African Americans, but also playfulness and fun as with the pictures of bands and music. I can envision being in a club in Harlem listening to jazz when I see those images. His later works include many more lighthearted images and bright colors, probably influenced by living in St. Martin.
J Mood
Mystery
Of the Blues
Eric Carle
Reading picture books to my children was always a beloved activity for me as a mother. Through this, I was introduced to the art of Eric Carle, a favorite children’s author and artist.
Eric Carle was born in New York in 1929, but moved with his family to Germany as a child. He dreamed of someday returning to America where he felt he had happier childhood memories. He graduated from the prestigious art school, Akademie der bildenden Künste in Germany, and at 23 he returned to New York with his portfolio and very little money. He was hired as a graphic designer for the New York Times, and also later worked as an art director for an advertising agency. Carle’s career as a children’s author and illustrator began in the 1960’s when he was approached by Bill Martin Jr. to illustrate a children’s book he was writing.
Carle hand paints papers and cuts and layers them into collages. His expresses his love of nature in his work, but also strives to educate children through his work, showing them that learning can be fun. He has written and illustrated over 70 books and sold more than 88 million copies worldwide. Carle has received numerous awards for his art including the Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Literature Award, Laura Ingalls Wilder Award from the Association for Library Service to Children, and the Regina Medal from the Catholic Library Association. He and his wife opened the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in 2002 to inspire the appreciation of picture book art for all ages.
What I love about Eric Carle is that his art attracts both children and adults from all walks of life. His use of extremely vivid colors in his collages and the essence of nature in his stories is appealing. His works provide an opportunity for all ages to create fond memories together from reading. Carle’s vision teaches children that reading is fun and rewarding, but also by families reading together, it helps make the family unit more secure, which is essential in today’s society.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
A House for Hermit Crab
