The paintings of Roman Bearden (1914–1988) represent a double triumph.

The paintings of Roman Bearden (1914–1988)
represent a double triumph. At the same time that
Bearden’s work reflects a lifelong commitment to
perfecting the innovative painting techniques he
(5) pioneered, it also reveals an artist engaged in a search
for ways to explore the varieties of African-American
experience.

By presenting scene, character, and atmosphere
using a unique layered and fragmented style that
(10) combines elements of painting with elements of
collage, Bearden suggested some of the ways in which
commonplace subjects could be forced to undergo a
metamorphosis when filtered through the techniques
available to the resourceful artist. Bearden knew that
(15) regardless of individual painters’ personal histories,
tastes, or points of view, they must pay their craft the
respect of approaching it through an acute awareness of
the resources and limitations of the form to which they
have dedicated their creative energies.

(20) But how did Bearden, so passionately dedicated to
solving the more advanced problems of his painting
technique, also succeed so well at portraying the
realities of African-American life? During the Great
Depression of the 1930’s, Bearden painted scenes of the
(25) hardships of the period; the work was powerful, the
scenes grim and brooding. Through his depiction of the
unemployed in New York’s Harlem he was able to
move beyond the usual “protest painting” of the period
to reveal instances of individual human suffering. His
(30) human figures, placed in abstract yet mysteriously
familiar urban settings, managed to express the
complex social reality lying beyond the borders of the
canvas without compromising their integrity as
elements in an artistic composition. Another important
(35) element of Bearden’s compositions was his use of
muted colors, such as dark blues and purples, to
suggest moods of melancholy or despair. While
functioning as part of the overall design, these colors
also served as symbols of the psychological effects of
(40) debilitating social processes.

During the same period, he also painted happier
scenes—depictions of religious ceremony, musical
performance, and family life—and instilled them with
the same vividness that he applied to his scenes of
(45) suffering. Bearden sought in his work to reveal in all its
fullness a world long hidden by the clichés of
sociology and rendered cloudy by the simplifications of
journalism and documentary photography. Where any
number of painters have tried to project the “prose” of
(50) Harlem, Bearden concentrated on releasing its poetry—
its family rituals and its ceremonies of affirmation and
celebration. His work insists that we truly see the
African-American experience in depth, using the fresh
light of his creative vision. Through an act of artistic
(55) will, he created strange visual harmonies out of the
mosaic of the African-American experience, and in
doing so reflected the multiple rhythms, textures, and
mysteries of life.

1. Which one of the following best summarizes the main idea of the passage?

(A) Bearden was unique among chroniclers of the Great Depression in that his work depicted not just human suffering but also the happier moments that other artists tended to overlook.
(B) By combining a dedication of the perfection of his craft with a desire to portray African-American life in all its complexity, Bearden was able to produce paintings of unique vision.
(C) Without sacrificing his devotion to depicting the realities of African-American life, Bearden was able to expand the number and kind of painting techniques available to the dedicated artist.
(D) Unlike other artists of the Great Depression, who were interested mainly in sociological observation, Bearden devoted himself to the perfection of his craft.
(E) While Bearden has long been celebrated for his innovative painting techniques, he is less well known but equally notable as a compassionate chronicler of the African-American experience.


2. According to the passage, Bearden’s innovative painting techniques illustrate

(A) a commitment to calling attention to human suffering
(B) a desire to instruct painters about how to approach problems of form
(C) the ability of art to transform ordinary subject matter
(D) the importance of combining the abstractions of painting with the clarity of photography
(E) the need to emphasize more prosaic elements over poetic elements in a work of art


3. As it is used in the passage, the phrase “protest painting” (line 28) appears to refer to painting that

(A) depicted general scenes of social hardship and group suffering
(B) portrayed solitary figures in abstract surroundings
(C) challenged the traditional techniques employed by painters
(D) emphasized the experiences of African Americans during the Great Depression
(E) used innovative techniques to suggest the effects of social circumstances on individuals


4. Based on the passage, with which one of the following statements would Bearden have been most likely to agree?

(A) To better highlight the creative technical elements of a painting an artist should choose prosaic and commonplace subjects.
(B) Technical elements such as color can be effectively used to convey social or political messages.
(C) A painter’s use of technical innovations should be subservient to conveying social and political messages.
(D) A painter should focus on the positive elements of African-American life and avoid depicting suffering and injustice.
(E) The techniques of journalism and photography can bring new creative vision to painting and enrich its depiction of African-American life.


5. It can be inferred from the passage that journalistic and photographic records of Depression-era Harlem generally do not

(A) involve innovative creative techniques
(B) reveal instances of individual human suffering
(C) communicate the sociological platitudes of the period
(D) depict the richness of African-American life
(E) cloud the picture of everyday life


6. The passage gives information that helps answer all of the following questions EXCEPT:

(A) What led Bearden to choose painting as his primary means of artistic expression?
(B) What are some of Bearden’s most significant contributions to art?
(C) What aspects of life during the Great Depression did Bearden depict?
(D) What specific artistic techniques lent power to Bearden’s paintings of individual subjects?
(E) What did Bearden intent to convey through his use of color?


7. According to the passage, human figures in Bearden’s paintings do all of the following EXCEPT:

(A) serve as particular examples of human hardship
(B) suggest circumstances outside the explicit subject of the paintings
(C) function as aspects of an artistic composition
(D) symbolize emotions or psychological stages
(E) inhabit abstract but recognizable physical settings


8. The passage suggests that the author’s attitude toward Bearden’s innovative painting techniques is one of

(A) admiration for how they aided Bearden in communicating his rich vision of African-American life
(B) appreciation for how they transform complex social realities into simple and direct social critiques
(C) respect for how they are rooted in the rhythms and textures of the African-American experience
(D) concern that they draw attention away from Bearden’s social and political message
(E) strong conviction that they should be more widely utilized by African-American artists