Reflection #10

Romare Bearden’s website at www.metmuseam.org provides information about his work The Block.  This Block is a collage of six panels that depict a block in Harlem. It is made with pieces of newspaper, photographs, colored paper, and pencil drawing to enhance details. This inspiration of this artwork was formulated from the forms and patterns in jazz music and from the realities of Harlem life. Bearden let the realities shape his own perception, and added images from his own imagination, such as religious figures and angels. How can we use things in the real world to help students imagine things that are fantasy? Looking at this artwork might help to inspire students to bring their own perspective to real-life images. The website also provides details from Bearden’s life, and how he was influenced by famous writer’s of his time. The viewer can take a closer look at The Block via an interactive tool on the website, or can be inspired to create their own collage through several activities suggested.

Historical Art: an Example from a Waldorf Main Lesson Book

Historical Art: another Example from a Waldorf Main Lesson Book

Can we use art, music, or real life situations to inspire students artwork? Bearden used writing, the Harlem lifestyle, and jazz music to inspire his work. I think it would be a great idea to let students explore different time periods or historical situations by listening to music, reading about them, and creating their own imaginative artwork. Although I haven’t had much experience with collage in my education, or the use of music as an inspiration, I was often asked to create artworks that corresponded to historical events or situations; however, my artworks were usually based upon existing photographs, and held few imaginative elements. If we let our students expand upon the existing material, they can connect and relate to it in a more meaningful way.