The Drawing Center’s installation of In the Medium of Life: The Drawings of Beauford Delaney exhibits nearly 100 works that serve as benchmarks of the different stylistic stages of Delaney’s career. Drawing the focus away from some of his more famous on-canvas works, the exhibition details the unfolding of Delaney’s life, and in turn, his journey’s effect on the development of his artistic style and overall presence in the world of art. With supporting materials such as the literature of his close friend James Baldwin and newspaper clippings documenting society’s reaction to the success of such black creatives, the gallery halls bounce between the different eras of Delaney’s genius.
While both the stylized portraiture and representational landscape compositions of Delaney’s works from the 1930s to the early 1950s do feature variations of the primary colors, the majority of his works lack a true blue. Layers upon layers of sheer teals, aquas, and turquoises can be found in his abstract watercolor paintings, inks drawings, and oil prints, but in none did he dare tamper with out-of-the-tube ultramarine. In only a fingerful of self portraits from late in his life and career did he employ such hues. These works, however, do not necessarily fit with his other pieces from those years in the 1970s.
This review starts off really strong, I think the first half is a great description of the show and what makes it interesting. I get a bit confused in the second paragraph as most of the writing becomes about a lack of true blue. I think that could be condensed into one sentence. I feel it is important when writing a review to understand when personal tastes take over because to me the use of a true blue or not seems insignificant when looking at the whole exhibit. That is something I might bring up in writing a critique of an individual piece but I find it hard to understand how it is significant in talking about his work in a retrospective.
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