Beauford met Larry Calcagno in Paris soon after Beauford's arrival, and the two men became dear friends. They frequently exchanged letters through which they conveyed not only the details of their daily lives, but also their love for each other.
Calcagno was a painter and as such, he was acutely sensitive to the environment in which Beauford created his art. In a handwritten document, he described Beauford's studio as follows:
"Beauford Delaney paints with joy each day, sitting beneath an enormous potted tree in his studio in Paris. A white island shining in a grey sea, it is filled with his inner light. Walls, floor, bed and chair, stacks of paintings and memorabilia — all covered with white — draperies, bedsheets, paper, a white shroud ...
"He puts everything away, literally out of sight — the past, the world, painful histories, frustration, and suffering. He paints with an enormous faith and serenity those he loves, who love him; in his world of white — [indecipherable] moves in a world of new beginnings."
Though Calcagno's document is undated, his description of the tree in the studio implies that he is describing the creative space at Beauford's rue Vercingétorix apartment.
Screenshot from Henry Miller vu par ses amis
I found this document touching because of Calcagno's description of the emotional state he felt Beauford experienced in painting. Whether he thought Beauford summoned his faith to achieve serenity in order to paint the people he loved, or that Beauford's faith was strengthened and serenity achieved by the act of painting them, we cannot know.
Find additional posts about Beauford and Larry Calcagno at the links below:
Beauford and Larry Calcagno: The Letters
Larry Calcagno's Portrait of Beauford
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