Memories
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Romare Bearden, Watching the Good Trains Go By,
1964, The Collection of Philip J. and Suzanne Schiller, American Social
Commentary Art 1930–1970
In order to "possess the meaning of his southern childhood and northern upbringing," Romare Bearden made art from observation and memory—the sights, sounds, and feelings of his personal history. One of his profound gifts to us was a new generation of images—almost nonexistent in American art before him— that measure life's universal journey in terms of authentic black experience. "I never left Charlotte except physically." North CarolinaBearden's images abound with affection for his birthplace in the South. Charlotte, North Carolina, was a hub for railroads—the Piedmont and Northern, and the Southern Railway lines ran through the city. Train tracks were only a few blocks from the houses of the Bearden family. Beyond was countryside, cotton and farm fields. Church-going, quilting, and other community activities were etched permanently in Bearden's recollections from summer visits. |
Among his vivid memories:
For Bearden, trains were weighted symbols. They signified the black migration North after slavery. They clocked time as they rolled and whistled by on their various scheduled routes. They hauled materials from the steel yard. They provided blacks with jobs. 
Romare Bearden, Madeleine Jones' Wonderful Garden, 1977, Frederick L. Brown
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Conjur women were important members of their communities—and not unique to the South. They prepared love potions and herbal remedies and counseled those with family problems. The conjur woman was a conduit of traditional wisdom from Africa. After Bearden began spending time each year in the Caribbean, he studied the island's equivalent Obeah woman, who, like the conjur woman, had the roots of her magic in African culture. 
Romare Bearden, Prevalence of Ritual: Conjur Woman, 1964, Anonymous lender
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