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Artist to Artist"What I saw was black life presented on its own terms, on a grand and epic scale, with all its richness and fullness, in a language that was vibrant and which, made attendant to everyday life, ennobled it, affirmed its value, and exalted its presence." —Playwright August Wilson about BeardenRomare Bearden inspired other artists, but especially playwright August Wilson. Bearden's collages of African-American life and culture influenced Wilson's approach to drama. Like Bearden, Wilson explored themes and ideas evocative of the African-American experience during the twentieth century, and in particular, the period of the Great Migration. Wilson's writing, like Bearden's art, sought to place African-American subjects within universal paradigms. ReproductionsWith two plays, Wilson makes specific connections to Bearden's collages. Joe Turner's Come and Gone (1988) was inspired by Bearden's Profile/Part I, The Twenties: Millhand's Lunch Bucket (1978), and The Piano Lesson (1990) was inspired by a collage of the same name from 1983.In the latter play, which won a Pulitzer prize, the piano, a uniquely carved, hard-won family heirloom becomes the central plot element. The characters' past, present, and future are in some way related to this much-discussed, but rarely used instrument. Berneice Charles, the sister, wants to keep the piano, a powerful reminder of their family history. Boy Willie Charles, the brother, wants to sell it and "get me some land so I can make a life for myself to live in my own way." Should they keep the piano as a legacy of their past, or use it to progress economically? The Charles family struggles with its past, rife with racism and poverty, as well as an uncertain future, in which a black man or woman has few opportunities to realize success. Please note: Wilson's play contains some adult language and subject matter. |
 Romare Bearden, Piano Lesson, 1983, The Walter O. Evans Foundation
for Art and Literature
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