e rhythm of the instruments and the march of the people are visually represented through the ebbs and flows of contouring lines. The movement of the lines and figures mimics the movement of the music of Mardi Gras. The beats and syncopation of the drums, both the pictorial drums and the implied drums, resonate in the mind of the viewer.
Romare Bearden’s The Prevalence of Ritual: Baptism depicts a group of people in the water, possibly a river or stream, during a baptism experience. The figures themselves are composites of photographs and images of African masks, fragments from magazine cutouts, as well as painted and penciled components. The various layers and pieces are placed strategically together to form an image that, although fragmented, is also cohesive. Through this kind of imagery, Bearden creates a rhythmic relationship between not only human figures, but also the assembled parts of the figures. African mask pieces serve as the faces and body parts of the men and women in the scene, adding yet another layer of identity and meaning to the figures. The collective memory of black Americans as descendants from Africa, as well as their experiences of slavery and oppression in America are represented through Bearden’s use of these masks.
These two artists have combined their personal experiences with significant motifs to show the intersection of memory and present cultural circumstances. Both individual memory and collective memory as a common ancestry inform the style, as well as the subjects of their work.
Our identities as believers in Christ also function in similar ways. We share a common heritage of both our Jewish ancestors and the foundational early Church, and we have our individual memories from the experiences in our lives. These memories shape our perception of the world and how we interact with one another. We are products of our pasts, our heritage, and our current cultures. God uses all of these things to mold and shape us, along with the workings of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. Although there are inherent truths about each of us because we are made in the image of God, we are also influenced by our surroundings and the events in our lives. They color our views of ourselves, of God, and of the world.