|
|
|
The Art of Romare Bearden
The Prevalence of Ritual |
|
M. Bunch Washington |
|
Abrams, $85, 236pp |
|
ISBN-13: 978-0810900332 |
|
The Art of Elizabeth Catlett |
|
Samella Lewis |
|
Hancraft Studios, $200, 193pp. |
|
ISBN-13: 978-0941248075 |
|
Review by Eli Kince |
 |
"These two will stand the test of time..."
"I work out of a response and need to redefine the image of man in the terms of the Negro experience I know best."
Romare Bearden said that a long time ago. It is exactly what thousands of black artist are saying today. If the collective human expe-rience of the people of this nation is to be truthfully described, it can no longer be drawn as a totally white experience. It was never a completely white nation; it will never be a completely white nation...
This is how the introduction to artist Romare Bearden begins. John A. Williams (The Man Who Cried I Am) wrote the text for this intro-duction in 1969, and it still holds true today. The market for black people who create visual artwork has changed substan-tially since the writing of these words, but it has also stayed much the same. It seems that the desire to create art, and color of the skin has a lot to do with what drives the artist and their subject matter. In most cases, artists create representations of that which they are most familiar. It is to their testament that both Romare Bearden and Elizabeth Catlett considered themselves black and proud. Their lives were shaped into a black consciousness by the times in which they lived.
Both grew as individuals and artists dur-ing a time in American when racism was bla-tant and often confrontational, unsaddled by ideas of political incorrectness. Self-identity and self-pride are two themes that runs con-current throughout the works of both artists for a majority of their careers. Strength, courage, romance, isolation and despair, too, were subject matter that neither artist was unafraid to approach.
The two books reprints of earlier edi-tions and are beautifully printed on oversized paper using a paper stock and quality that enhances the repro-ductions of the images. My first impression of both editions was one of awe and pride at seeing such quality and care given to the look and "feel" that was substantial and worthy of these two artistic giants. Not only in the Black art market, but for the entire art world. The end product sug-gest not just an understanding of the artist but a love of their works and livesl. Based on this alone, these books are instant collectors items. I recommend them equally to the art collector and the novice.
The black and white and color images are delicately reproduced with great ink coverage that saturates the color prints and provides great tonal values to the black and whites. The text in both books is sparse and sen-sitive. The layouts are simple with large type for easy reading and with one image per spread. There is sort of reverence that is paid to the images in choosing this format. Often times, oversized art books become coffee table books that eventually get covered up or stored away when something new comes out in print. However, these two will stand the test of time on anyone's table. |
Quite honestly, I have had these two books to review for nearly three months and it has been difficult because the images are so beautiful that they put me into a different state of mind. Reviewing work that I have always admired and now see so beautifully reproduced quite literally froze my critical nature.
While it was a pleasure to review the art within each book, both do suffer, some-what, from a lack of graphic design sophis-tication that would match the level of art-work that the books contain. The design elements that make these two books ele-gant and magnificent are also the very same elements that draw attention to their design flaws. The scale of these books, which allows for the images to be gener-ously large and easy to see, does not work as well with the typography.
In The Art of Romare Bearden, the selection of typeface, the scale (size), and the leading (the space between the lines) all need to be re-visited by the graphics team. In regard to the selection of the typeface, there is a term called snowblind-ness and prickly that comes to mind. This happens in typography when the typeface design and the selection of paper create a startling contrast that makes it hard to fo-cus. Much like going outdoors after a snow storm and trying to see or focus your eyes with the daylight reflecting off of the freshly layered snow covering.
Bright white paper and type characters that are both thick and thin can often cre-ate this effect. The subtle effect is of an illusion that the let-ters are breaking off or falling apart. The text in the introduction is too large to be comfortably read in one passing, without additional leading or in-creased concentration. And the combin-ations of Roman and Italics typefaces in the commentary by Mr. Washington ac-cents the problems previously mentioned as well as adds a new level of complexity in legibility and text tonality that feels un-resolved.
The Art of Elizabeth Catlett escapes most of the issues that affects The Art of Romare Bearden, but still there are design flaws that subtract from the beauty of the presentation. The paper used for most of the text is an off-white stock that makes it easier to read the large type. There is suf-ficient leading between the lines of copy, but justified copy (set within a defined area) causes an irregular word spacing that takes away from the quality of the appear-ance of the text. The main problem with the text treatment in this book is the attempt to fill the pages with text from top to bot-tom. This is sometimes accomplished with sizes that are larger and/or smaller and adding space between paragraphs.
While beautifully printed, all of the im-ages sit too low on the page. Images are easier to see, and "feel" more comfortable, with more open space on the bottom, un-der an image. Too much space above cre-ates a feeling of weightiness, visually draw-ing the image down for the viewer.
Overriding these graphic design details, one can still appreciate the images and the story these two books have to tell about these two phenomenal artists, which is the main purpose of these books. I highly re-commend them.
Click to comment on this book or review on QBR BLACK INK, our blogspot.
Eli Kince is a Fine Artist and teaches Graphic Design at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology.
|
