Romare Bearden

Romare BeardenMusic and Memories

Close your eyes and listen to this song

Raise your hand if you have a memory of this songRomare BeardenMusic and Memories

Music and memories are often paired together! Today we are going to talk about an artist who created his works by remembering a special time through music.Romare Bearden was an African-American artist who often used jazz music to inspire his artwork which he created based on his own memoriesHe was known for his work with collage and using texture to express the feeling of his memoryHere are a few examples of his work!


This is Piano Lesson from 1983Raise your hand if you think this picture is a happy memory?This looks like it might be a memory that Bearden had of his sister playing the piano.Notice the texture heresee how the teacher's tan skirt looks like canvas and the green curtains look like a different clothTexture is the way something feels, bumpy, smooth, rough, etc. Funny fact, Bearden once said when discussing this painting that his music teacher did not allow Jazz to be played only classical music!


This is Out Chorus from 1980Raise your hand if you think this picture is a happy memory?This looks like Beardens memory of watching a jazz band in person!


Today we are going to make our own collage with texture and colors that shows a memory we have to go along with a song. So close your eyes and take a moment to think of a song and a memory that goes along with that song. You can think of a nursery rhyme song, a holiday song, a popular song on the radio, a tune you hum to yourselfmaybe your dad whistles a lot while vacuuming or mom hums a tune while drawing or playing games with you. Did your grandma sing you to sleep when you were little? Any of these memories are just fine!If you cant think of song, think of a memory with your family or someone in your family eating together, playing together, being silly something you enjoy!


Once you have an idea for your picture:Think of a background for your memory; a bedroom, kitchen, playroom, or family room (Beardens works were focused on indoor scenes so we will stick with indoors too!)Now I will demonstrate how to create texture given the different texture plates/objects we have and creating a rubbing. This can be used anywhere on your background!Next I will show you how you can use these patterned scrap papers to create a rug, bedspread, curtain, or other detail in your pictureLastly I will show you how we will color in the people in our memory and cut them out and paste them to our background


Lets review what we talked about today:The artist we studied today is Romare BeardenBearden used music to evoke memories (mostly jazz music)Bearden used collage and texture in many of his piecesSongs can be a strong reminder of a special memoryCollage and texture can be used to make a picture more interesting


Discussion Questions:What is collage?How do you do a rubbing?Who was the artist we studied today?What song did you choose for your inspiration?What is the story behind your memory?Who was a part of your memory?What would you title your piece of artwork?

Twinkle Twinkle Little StarVarious ArtistsTwinkle Twinkle Little StarTwinkle Twinkle Little Star2003Children's MusicTwinkle Twinkle Little Star

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Romare Bearden