Beauford struggled mightily to maintain his mental health. Painting helped greatly, as did listening to music.
From an entry dated July 23 in one of the sketchbooks that is now part of the UTKnoxville Beauford Delaney archive (year not indicated, but we know from the comments that he was living in Paris), we also learn that Beauford was fortified by silence:
"Walked over to rue Constantinople. Read Lao Tzu for comfort this morning. Took courage from silence."
After reading this, I tried to visualize one or more Beauford Delaney works that I felt might represent or at least evoke a scenario that unfolds in silence. His work is so vibrant that I could not conjure up an image in my mind's eye, so I turned to the folders on my computer to search for one.
Here is what I found.
(1962) Gouache on paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
(1961) Gouache on wove paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
(1964) Oil on paper
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Photo from Bill Hodges Gallery Web site
(1961) Oil on canvas
© Estate of Beauford Delaney,
by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire,
Court Appointed Administrator
Jean-Claude Killy is starkly white with blue splotches and sweeping black tracks that are meant to evoke skiing. It is easy to imagine swooshing down a track with nothing but the sound of skis moving over snow in your ears.
The blue that Beauford used for Untitled (Composition in Blue) is pale, and the broad swirls of pigment give the impression of softness. Imagine lying in bed wrapped in downy pale blue fabric on an utterly still cold winter morning, with only your head and face exposed ... no traffic, no birds calling, no wind rustling in the trees ... only silence.
Beauford used more colors in the oils shown above, but they remain quite muted overall. The center of both works exude a lightness that is almost white; focusing here encourages a sense of stillness that quiets the chatter of the mind.
What do you feel when you look at these works?
If other Beauford Delaney works make you think of silence, let me know what they are!
July is BIPOC Mental Health Month (formerly known as Minority Mental Health Month).
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