Village Square

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Romare Bearden, Village Square, 1969, collage on paperboard, 23 ³⁄₄ x 19 ⁷⁄₈ in. (60.3 x 50.5 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Edith S. and Arthur J. Levin, 2005.5.4

Artwork Details

Title: Village Square
Artist: Romare Bearden
Date: 1969
Location: Not on view
Dimensions: 23 ³⁄₄ x 19 ⁷⁄₈ in. (60.3 x 50.5 cm)
Credit Line: Bequest of Edith S. and Arthur J. Levin
Mediums Description: collage on paperboard
Subjects: Performing arts — music — guitar
Cityscape — town
African American
Architecture Exterior
Object Number: 2005.5.4
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2005.5.4

Artwork Description

In genre scenes, landscapes, and jazz and blues images of the 1960s, Bearden transformed contemporary and recollected moments, people, and places into archetypes that transcend generation and culture. Village Square, which is populated by a woman with a shopping basket, a child holding a treasured object, and a street musician, is both nowhere and everywhere. The face of the musician is simultaneously real and mask-like, reinforcing the understanding that he is a contemporary figure whose cultural roots lie in Africa.

Modern Masters: Midcentury Abstraction from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2008