Hypertrophied sexuality, a homoeroticism that pervades every sphere of life, drunken revels, debauchery, primitive amusements, a satirical view of the vices of society, the new America in all its colours: all this found expression in the work of…
Hypertrophied sexuality, a homoeroticism that pervades every sphere of life, drunken revels, debauchery, primitive amusements, a satirical view of the vices of society, the new America in all its colours: all this found expression in the work of Paul Cadmus, who painted in egg tempera, inspired by the Italian Renaissance. Oddly enough, many of Cadmus's works were painted on commission from the American government: he was a participant in a fellowship programme supporting American art, and during the years of the economic depression he received a subsistence wage of 32 dollars a week for painting for the Public Works of Art project. You can learn more about Cadmus's work from David Sutherland's 1986 documentary film Paul Cadmus: Enfant Terrible at 80.
