“The Calabash,” created by Romare Bearden in 1970, falls under the art movements of Outsider Art and Social Realism, and is classified within the genre of genre painting.
The artwork features a collage technique, depicting a scene that appears to take place in a rural setting. The central figure is a seated woman, adorned in colors of muted purple and burgundy tones, with a striking red and white checkered headscarf. The background showcases a barren tree and a vibrant, fiery sunset, enhancing the composition with warm, contrasting hues of orange and red. Another figure stands in the background to the right, clothed predominantly in white and pink, conveying a sense of depth and perspective. The overall texture of the artwork is rich and complex, suggesting both the layered nature of the medium and the deeper narrative inherent in Bearden’s thematic focus on social and cultural experiences.
