Rhythms Across Generations
Louis Delsarte
- 2019
- Offset Lithograph
- Image/sheet: 22 x 30"
- 40 prints in this edition
About the Print
From the Artist
I am constantly searching for meaning in my life as I create. This revelation, or act of discovery through experimentation, has been a lifelong process. My work is really spiritual in the sense that I am always thinking of this life and what it really means. How does one document these experiences that you go through? How do you document life, death, tragedy, happiness, sorrow and birth? Freely, with the joy and passion of the creative process, I have discovered through trial and error the use of texture, color and form, and that the abstraction of space is perhaps more important than the subject matter. The figure is within the composition as an element of form. In my abstractions, the images relate to light and space; however, the subject matter often depicts African American themes. When I paint, I seek beauty in my work. Painting is a form of prayer and keeps me connected to God. Since the beginning of my career, I have retained my vision of Romanticism and the unknown. My surrealistic nature inspires the creation of masks suggesting the hidden universality of people of all races. I am inspired by memories from the past. The souls of loved ones are an integral part of my dreams and visions. The voices of the ancestors speak through me. My work is an interpretation of our communication. This spirit stirs a creative energy in me that moves with joy and passion, and sees through the uninhabited vision of a child.
—From https://www.louisdelsarte.net/about1-c24c1, accessed 6-14-2021
Louis Delsarte’s Rhythms Across Generations is consistent with his colorful illusionist painting style, distinguishing the beauty of family and community. It reflects Delsarte’s memory of growing up in Harlem during the post-World War II era and its connections through music and culture to the achievements of the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and ‘30s.
—Halima Taha, from Pigment of the Soul: Visiting Artist Prints, 2019–2021 (2022) exhibition catalog: https://brandywineworkshopandarchives.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Pigment-of-the-Soul-catalog.pdf, accessed 4-27-2022
Louis Delsarte
American September 1, 1944 in New York, NY
About the Artist
New York City-born painter, draftsman, muralist, printmaker, and poet Louis Delsarte earned his BFA from Pratt Institute, Brooklyn; an MFA from the University of Arizona, Tucson; and certification in fine-arts education from Brooklyn College.
Delsarte’s work can be found in the collection of Clark Atlanta University Art Museum, on U.S. postage stamps, and in large-scale public murals in New York City and Atlanta. He is an associate professor of arts and humanities at Morehouse College, Atlanta, where he maintains his studio near historic Auburn Avenue.
—From Brandywine Workshop and Archives records
Curriculum Connections
Suggested Topics for Expressive Writing
Expressive Writing
The writings of Haki R. Madhubuti reflect a similar way of stereotyping as the word-prints of Edgar Heap of Birds. People of African descent are disproportionately represented in entertainment—as dancers and singers, particularly—and in professional sports. They are perceived as physically strong and fast. In American society, Blacks may entertain, play sports — or cook and clean. Outside of those realms, however, Blacks both with and without advanced education, social prominence, and financial success are considered dangerous, therefore representing a threatening presence at both ends of the socioeconomic spectrum.
Our abilities as viewers to understand the messages and connections that the artists hope their imagery will convey is largely based on the extent of our own experiences and information that we bring to viewing and interpreting the artwork. In many countries, these types of messages are not brought to broad public attention and are often considered subversive.
Questions to Consider
- Why are some people considered a threat while others are not?
- Why is there education inequality in most developed countries?
- Who benefits from stereotyping others?
Related Media
- “America Calling” by Haki R. Madhubuti (Don L. Lee)
- “AWARENESS” by Haki R. Madhubuti (Don L. Lee)
- “Middle Passage” by Robert Hayden
- Amistad (1997 film) directed by Steven Spielberg
- Just Mercy (2019 film) directed and written by Destin Daniel Cretton
- King in the Wilderness (2018 documentary) directed by Peter W. Kunhardt
- Committed to Memory: The Art of the Slave Ship Icon by Cheryl Finley, PhD (2018)