Painter gay
CHICAGO — Yannis Tsarouchis, the gay Greek artist-provocateur, was well ahead of his time. His mid-20th century paintings explored homoeroticism when such themes were still highly taboo. Dancing in Real Life, a comprehensive survey at Wrightwood 659, shines a much merited spotlight on the artist. Featuring over 200 works, it’s Tsarouchis’s first major show in the United States and makes a strong case for recognizing this modernist painter as a pioneer of queer art.
Born in Piraeus, Greece in 1910, Tsarouchis studied at the Athens School of Fine Arts while working as a stage designer. Among the exhibition’s highlights is the documentation of Tsarouchis’s work for theater and opera, including sketches for stage designs and photographs with the luminaries he collaborated with, including Maria Callas and Samuel Beckett.
Tsarouchis’s painting influences ranged from Byzantine art and El Greco to Western modernism. In works like“The Thinker” (1936), and “Seated Dark-Haired Youth in Overcoat” (1937), he takes up Matisse’s ornamental approach. “The Thinker” also satirizes Rodin’s fa
Francis Bacon (28 October 1909 – 28 April 1992) was an Irish-born British figurative painter known for his emotionally charged crude imagery and fixation on personal motifs. Best known for his depictions of popes, crucifixions and portraits of close friends, his abstracted figures are typically isolated in geometrical cages which deliver them vague 3D depth, place against flat, nondescript backgrounds. Bacon said that he saw images "in series", and his serve , which numbers c. 590 extant paintings along with many others he destroyed, typically focuses on a single subject for sustained periods, often in triptych or diptych formats. His output can be broadly described as sequences or variations on single motifs; including the 1930s Picasso-influenced bio-morphs and Furies, the 1940s male heads isolated in rooms or geometric structures, the 1950s screaming popes, the mid-to-late 1950s animals and lone figures, the premature 1960s crucifixions, the mid to late 1960s portraits of friends, the 1970s self-portraits, and the cooler more technical 1980s paintings. Bacon took up painting in his twenti
LGBT+ History Month: Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960 – 1988)
This February, we are proud to honour LGBT+ History Month, a month-long annual celebration and remembrance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history. It looks back at the history of gay rights and celebrates how far we have arrive in the fight for equality.
Over this month we will observe at the lives of people who made an impact in the fields of arts, culture and science, as well as being prominent figures in the LGBT+ community.
Today we celebrate Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960 – 1988)
Jean-Michel Basquiat was born in Park Slope Brooklyn to a Haitian father and a Puerto Rican mother. His cultural heritage provided inspiration and he would often incorporate Spanish words into his artworks.
After being hit by a ride when he was eight years old, his mother bought a copy of Gray’s Anatomy to read whilst he was recovering and this provided inspiration for art later in life. He also named his band Gray which referenced the book.
Basquiat did not have a formal art education, neither did he verb to art schoo
Meet John Gay | Painter
We had the good fortune of connecting with John Gay and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi John, what habits do you verb play an important role in your life?
Healthy habits of waking up, working on my craft and building my skills. Also making sure you are taking time away from your craft so you can earn a better perspective once you come back to it. Its important to not get caught up in your own head and over think what youre doing or trying to carry out. Its supposed to be enjoyable, so dont ever let that fade away.
Alright, so let’s proceed onto what keeps you working professionally?
I started out as a young kid drawing. It was my outlet and i used it all the period. I realized i enjoyed certain things about drawing and my subject matter, which continued to build as i got older. I went to college and graduated with an art degree. While in college i attended some music festivals where i found that there was a huge interest in art. I would make art posters for the event i was going to and sell them in the camp grounds. After i graduated college