The two pieces directly above were early references to his homo-erotic sensibility. Kv.F are the initials of Karl von Freyburg, his German lover who was killed at the beginning of the First World War. The work is entitled Portrait of a German Officer. The pomp of the horse guards in The Warriors above the portrait notes his delight of masculine pageantry.
He seemed unlucky in love. In 1935, at the age of 58, he made his way to Nova Scotia. He made two trips, leaving again for Nova Scotia in 1936. At Eastern Point Island he lived with the Mason family and there fell in love with one of the Mason sons, a nineteen-year-old fisherman called Alty.
Making their way back to the island during his second trip in 1936, the brothers and a cousin drowned. He was heartbroken. "Never have I known anyone like them," he wrote to a friend in New York. "Never a mean thought or act, drunk or sober, and their only fault was drinking now and then. They were fond of me, and I loved them."
Adelard the Drowned, known to be a depiction of Alty
Stormy Seas No. 2 and 3, chronicling the boys' fate and his despair.
6 comments:
Great artworks and nice post.
I only recall seeing two of these pieces... the man with the flower in his hair and the boys standing about holding seaweed. Astonishing stuff. Strong. Singular in vision. I feel like I just went to a museum. Thank you. Take care of yourself.
I had to come and say that I love that first painting. I've seen the original in the Art Institute. It was my phone wallpaper for the longest time! I should have known the artist was gay.
XOXO
Hallo JiEL & thanks!
Yes, uptonking, the flower fascinated me, and made me investigate hahaha. Thanks for looking and take it easy too.
Yes Sixpence, he became more frankly sexual as he got older, less apt to hide his feelings. Those hairy chests!
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