My Experience with Romare Bearden’s At Five in the Afternoon Essay Example
At Five in the Afternoon, a painting by Romare Bearden, was inspired by Federico Garcia Lorca's poem Lament for a Bullfighter. Unlike the typical meaning of the phrase, Bearden uses it to represent the climax of a bullfight. The painting employs the synthetic cubism technique, which integrates signs and fragments of real things to create a collage effect (1). Born in 1912, Bearden originally hails from Charlotte, North Carolina. Initially, I found the painting confusing as it was not immediately clear what it depicted.
Being raised among poets, artists, and musicians because of his parents' close relationship with key figures of the Harlem Renaissance (2), Romare Bearden was able to create the painting "At Five in the Afternoon". At first glance, the image may seem puzzling due to the abundance of geometrical figures. However, upon closer observatio
...n, the painting depicts the Spanish bullfighting tradition. Is it a puzzle or a painting? This question immediately came to mind upon viewing it. As a viewer, my eyes were drawn to certain figures, such as the fighter's facial expressions and the use of bright colors to create geometrical forms that express the artist's intent.
Initially, I was unaware of the message that Romare Bearden aimed to convey through his painting. The sword caught my attention as it raised questions about who wielded it - a pirate or a warrior in combat. Nevertheless, its violent connotations were evident. With further observation, I began to understand the artist's intentions. Bearden's choice of bright colors served to accentuate the drama and intensity of the depicted moment. In particular, the utilization of the color red as a symbol of blood, pain, death, and suffering
was prominent in the artwork.
The bullfighter is the main character depicted in this painting, and performs dangerous maneuvers at close range which puts his safety at risk of being gored or trampled by the bull. Typically, the bullfight culminates with the killing of the bull through a single sword thrust known as “estocada”. Although in this painting, it remains unclear who emerges as the victor since Bearden appears to have combined the figure of the bullfighter with that of the bull - making it up to the discretion of the observer to determine the winner.
Upon first seeing Romare Bearden’s painting, “At Five in the Afternoon”, I found it to be a perplexing depiction of geometrical forms. However, upon further examination, I was able to discern that the painting portrays a Spanish bullfighting tradition. This directly connects to the age-old adage from Bo Diddley’s Song Title: “You Can’t Judge a Book by the Cover”, which advises against judging the worth or value of something solely based on its outward appearance (4).
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