The Land of the Lotus Eaters
Artwork by Romare Beardon
About the Artist
• Romare Bearden (1914-1988)
• Famous African American author of the
Harlem Renaissance
• Born in Charlotte, NC
• Moved to Harlem
• Joined the Army in 1942
• Moved to Paris to study art
Bearden’s Art
• Work focused mainly on the African
American experience
• Worked in the medium of collages
Collages
• Were first used in modern times by the
cubists (who inspired Bearden in Paris)
• For Bearden’s collages, he combined
his artist’s eye and his love of jazz
• He took fragments of pictures and
colors and arranged them to form
figures and scenes that became unified
storytelling creations
Bearden’s collage materials
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He used a large variety including:
Pictures from magazines
Photographs
Fabrics
paint
Reasons to make collage
• Bearden liked collage because with it he
was able to combine related moments
and events in his work
• To show the relation of past and present
• To express the color and richness of life
that he associated with African
American culture
Bearden’s Odyssey
• Bearden did an African American
version of the ancient Greek classic,
The Odyssey
• He wanted to reinterpret memories and
stories in African American terms
Land of the Lotus Eaters
• Done in 1977
• From his collection of Odyssey stories
Introducing the Collage
• What colors predominate in the collage?
• How would you describe the tones of
these colors?
• Describe the terrain in the collage.
Introducing the Collage
• What effect does the diagonal line of the
river have on the viewer’s path of
vision?
• What sort of texture does the collage
have?
• What are the people in the collage
doing? What seems to be their mood?
Land of the Lotus Eaters
• Answer the following questions on the
worksheet - in complete sentences
Additional Collages
• Cyclops
• Battle of the Cicones
The Cyclops
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Painting by French Artist Odilon Redon
Tones of pastel
Oils
Dream-like mythical images