"Calcagno" is the Italian word for heel. Any time Beauford Delaney wanted to bring back memories of his friend, Lawrence Calcagno, he would scratch his ankle against his other heel. The pair began a life-long friendship in 1953.

An Artistic Friendship: Beauford Delaney and Lawrence Calcagno is currently on display at the Palmer Museum of Art. The exhibit, which runs through May 13, shows the work the two men created in Paris during the 1950s.

It will be complemented by Standing in the Light, a theatrical production that will run on April 20, 21, 27 and 28 in the Palmer Lipcon Auditorium of the Palmer Museum of Art. Charles Dumas, associate professor of theatre, created the play, which will bring the artists to life. The character of James Baldwin, well-known writer and their mutual friend, narrates the story.

Both the exhibit and the theatrical production will explore the friendship between Delaney, an African American from Tennessee, and Calcagno, a Caucasian American and native of northern California.

"It was a very dear friendship," said

Joyce Robinson, museum curator and creator of the exhibit. "One of the most interesting things is that they are not household names. This is a great opportunity to see works that have not previously been shown."

In her essay, Robinson attributes the artists' omission from the history of abstract impressionism to their individualistic styles. They practiced a "gentle lyricism" that contrasted the "virile machismo at the heart of the drips, splatters and violent gestures" of better known artists, such as Jackson Pollack.

Delaney and Calcagno did achieve notoriety in their day.

"Beauford Delaney is a common name with people who study African-American art," she said.

Many of the works on display are from the private collection of Calcagno's nephew, Tom Gibson.

"He (Calcagno) would explain how he went through a dark period in Paris. The paintings in the exhibition are from that period," said Gibson, who is assistant vice-president of auxiliary and business services at Penn State. "He didn't know much and that is represented by the black, but he said that with all this darkness, there was light trying to come through."

Gibson also stated that his uncle's imagery evolved, and by the end of his life, his works were predominately white.

On the other hand, Delaney was very interested in light, and Claude Monet had a strong influence on his work.

"In his journals he talks about a spiritual light. Yellow for him was a spiritual color," Robinson said.

Delaney struggled with depression and mental illness.

"Painting was a way to calm those demons," Robinson said.

Calcagno returned to the United States and taught at schools including the University of Alabama and New York University. He continued to keep in contact with Delaney, who sank further into mental illness until his death in 1979.

Calcagno died in State College in 1993.

"I remember that he was very close to the family, very generous and that you could always have a wonderful conversation with him," Gibson said. "He did a lot of painting on our patio in California. I love this exhibit. These are paintings I have been familiar with for a long time."