On September 27, 2023, Professor Arlene Keizer spoke about her new book, Fraternal Light: On Painting While Black, at the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting, and Sculpture.
Fraternal Light book cover
Cover art by Nell Painter
After writing the two-part blog post* that presents Keizer and Fraternal Light to Les Amis readers, I wanted to hear what she would say to the audience in this space, which is located at the former address of the Whitney Studio Galleries where Beauford's work was shown in 1930.
I learned that Keizer was inspired to select Beauford as a subject when she saw his Portrait of a Young Musician.
She noted that Beauford did not provide the young man with an instrument and said she believes this is because he wanted to portray the musician as a fellow creator, as an equal.
She said she was continually "stopped in her tracks" as she encountered Beauford's work. This statement reminded me of my reaction to Composition 16, the Abstract Expressionnist painting that "stopped my heart" when I saw an image of it online.
(1954-1956) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
After sharing the background for the research that went into her book, Keizer read several of the poems in it. Five were from the section called In Country, which references Beauford's life in the U.S., and the other eight were from the section called Elsewhere. These latter poems were inspired by Beauford's life in Paris.
For me, Keizer's two most memorable statements (paraphrased) during the event were the following:
"Beauford Delaney led a 'compartmentalized, but not closeted life'."
"Abstraction and figurative painting were not binary" for Beauford.
Fraternal Light: On Painting While Black was released in August 2023 and is now available for purchase.
Image courtesy of Dr. Keizer
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