Generations of Creative Genius 1984

Varnette Honeywood made this figurative collage, Generations of Creative Genius, with paper and ink, as her medium of choice. I can just picture Honeywood carefully cutting the figures from paper, deciding on colors, and how the patterns play out. The rhythm of arranging and pasting those shapes must have been really satisfying. Look at the way each figure is defined by bold outlines and flat planes of color, set against the busy blue and white patterned background. The artist places them side-by-side, but each is an individual. I love that Honeywood celebrates the arts with her visual language, incorporating musical notes, paintbrushes, and geometric patterns that seem so particular and unique. Honeywood’s use of materials to create form has echoes of Romare Bearden’s collages. For Honeywood, each cut and placed form tells a story. It reminds me that art is always a conversation, an exchange of ideas between artists across time.