Untitled

Untitled

Romare Bearden

1975

graphite

From the collection of Museum of Modern Art

About this work

This painting shows two figures playing music together. One is holding a guitar, standing with one foot raised. The other sits on a stool, holding a saxophone. The background is loose and blurry, with splashes of blue and white. Brushstrokes are thick and uneven, giving it a rough, sketchy feel. Notice how the artist used tiny dots and marks to build up shapes—like the guitar’s texture or the figures’ clothes. It’s not smooth; it’s built up layer by layer. Try looking up stippling to see how artists create detail with dots.

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