Sirens' Song

1979

Romare Bearden

Associated Names
Romare Bearden

Artist, American, 1911 - 1988

The image depicts a scene with figures gathered along a shoreline with a ship in the sea beyond them. The figures on the shore are in a variety of poses, with some lounging on the grass, some speaking with one another, and some pointing towards the ship. They are mostly nude, although one wears a white dress and two have white cloths around their waists. The figures have no detail beyond their silhouette, and are colored in with shades of black, purple, and brown. Around them are a variety of leafy plants in shades of dark green, light green, and blue. Rock formations and trees are visible to the left. The ship beyond them has several small figures rowing, and one figure tied to the tall mast, in front of a large white sail. The style of the artwork features bold shapes and flat colors with no visible brushstrokes.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    color screenprint on wove Lana paper

  • Credit Line

    Purchased as the Gift of Richard A. Simms

  • Dimensions

    image: 46.04 × 60.96 cm (18 1/8 × 24 in.)
    sheet: 55.56 × 74.3 cm (21 7/8 × 29 1/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2013.142.3


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Bill Hodges, NY); gift to NGA, 2013

Associated Names

Bibliography

1992

  • Gelburd, Gail and Alex Rosenberg. A Graphic Odyssey: Romare Bearden as Printmaker. Exh. cat., University of Pennsylvania Press, 1992: 48.

Inscriptions

lower left in graphite: 65/125; lower right in graphite: Romare Bearden; lower right verso in graphite by unknown hand: Sirens / Song / 800- / X BEA-5

Markings

blindstamp: HMK (for printer Mohammad Omer Khalil, New York)

Watermarks

LANA

Wikidata ID

Q77006209

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