Rhythms Across Generations

From the Artist

I am constantly searching for meaning in my life as I create. This revelation, or act of discovery through experimentation, has been a lifelong process. My work is really spiritual in the sense that I am always thinking of this life and what it really means. How does one document these experiences that you go through? How do you document life, death, tragedy, happiness, sorrow and birth? Freely, with the joy and passion of the creative process, I have discovered through trial and error the use of texture, color and form, and that the abstraction of space is perhaps more important than the subject matter. The figure is within the composition as an element of form. In my abstractions, the images relate to light and space; however, the subject matter often depicts African American themes. When I paint, I seek beauty in my work. Painting is a form of prayer and keeps me connected to God. Since the beginning of my career, I have retained my vision of Romanticism and the unknown. My surrealistic nature inspires the creation of masks suggesting the hidden universality of people of all races. I am inspired by memories from the past. The souls of loved ones are an integral part of my dreams and visions. The voices of the ancestors speak through me. My work is an interpretation of our communication. This spirit stirs a creative energy in me that moves with joy and passion, and sees through the uninhabited vision of a child.
_{—Excerpted from https://www.louisdelsarte.net/about1-c24c1, accessed 6-14-2021}

Louis Delsarte's Rhythms Across Generations is consistent with his colorful illusionist painting style, distinguishing the beauty of family and community. It reflects Delsarte’s memory of growing up in Harlem during the post-World War II era and its connections through music and culture to the achievements of the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and ‘30s.
_{—Excerpted from Halima Taha, fromPigment of the Soul:Visiting Artist Prints, 2019–2021(2022) exhibition catalog:https://brandywineworkshopandarchives.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Pigment-of-the-Soul-catalog.pdf, accessed 4-27-2022}