Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 11

John Baker
"Madman I", portrait, figure, insanity, grey, brown, collage, acrylic painting

2018

$3,200
£2,418.13
€2,792.35
CA$4,471.52
A$4,961.52
CHF 2,598.95
MX$60,841.61
NOK 33,057.79
SEK 31,205.15
DKK 20,824.32
Shipping
Retrieving quote...
The 1stDibs Promise:
Authenticity Guarantee,
Money-Back Guarantee,
24-Hour Cancellation

About the Item

John Baker’s “Madman I” is an acrylic painting on canvas with collage, 27.25 x 23 inches, an imaginary portrait in muted tones of brown and grey. From the artist’s “Insanity” series, the painting is a study of pathological hyper-control. The compulsive, detailing of the jacket and tie, and the psychotic contortion of the proper right arm and hand, express the sense of the figure’s hopeless confinement within his own symptom structures. The counterpoints of the tousled hair and the free gestures around the head provide aesthetic relief from the rigid madness, as does the right side of the face, which, however detailed in execution nonetheless adds a sense of unfinish and freshness. The painting is signed and dated on the reverse and wears a carved early 20th Century frame. John Baker is a widely exhibited painter based in Boston and New York whose solo exhibitions have been favorably reviewed in the Boston Globe (his paintings demonstrate that the human figure as a source of fresh ideas still endures), Art New England (Baker’s collages raise a bunch of interesting issues) and American Art Collector (John Baker’s wonderful and worthy project). A native of New York City, Baker was a pupil of Donald Judd for two years. The sculptor’s constructivist method remains an influence on Baker’s collage process, but Baker’s artistic results are more sensual and emotional as he adds the elements of subtle color harmony and reliance on impulse. Baker is represented by Fountain Street Gallery in Boston, MA.
  • Creator:
    John Baker (1944, American)
  • Creation Year:
    2018
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 36.25 in (92.08 cm)Width: 32 in (81.28 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Natick, MA
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: Baker_Madman I1stDibs: LU50035164521

More From This Seller

View All
"Old Madman 4", Contemporary, Portrait, Brown, Collage, Acrylic Painting, 2020
By John Baker
Located in Natick, MA
John Baker’s “Old Madman #4”, an imaginary portrait 14 x 18 x .75 inches in flesh tones, greys, browns and whites, is from the artist’s important “Madman Series”. As Yeats wrote: “An...
Category

2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic

"Old Madman 3", portrait, greys, browns, whites, collage, acrylic painting
By John Baker
Located in Natick, MA
John Baker’s “Old Madman #3”, an imaginary portrait 24 x 18 x 1.5 inches in flesh tones, greys, browns and whites, is from the artist’s important “Madman Series”. As Yeats wrote: “An...
Category

2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic

"AI Takes Over", Surrealist, Portrait, Brown, Black, Collage, Acrylic Painting
By John Baker
Located in Natick, MA
John Baker’s “AI Takes Over” is a 20 x 16 x 1.5 inch acrylic painting on canvas with collage in greys, blacks, browns and pinks. The impending excessive reliance on AI (for informati...
Category

2010s Surrealist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Mixed Media

"Old Madman #1", portrait, maroon, grey, blues, pinks, collage, acrylic painting
By John Baker
Located in Natick, MA
John Baker’s “Old Madman #1”, an imaginary portrait 20 x 16 x 1.5 inches in maroon, grey, blues and pinks, is the inaugural work in the artist’s important “Madman Series”. As Yeats w...
Category

2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic

"Rough Going on the Inside", Contemporary Portrait, Collage, Mixed Media, 2022
By John Baker
Located in Natick, MA
John Baker’s “Rough Going on the Inside” is an acrylic painting on canvas with collage 36 x 28 inches in olive greens and dark reds. Unlike in Chagall, where the inverted heads sugge...
Category

2010s Contemporary Mixed Media

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic

"Best of Both Worlds II", collage, portrait, tan, grey, green, acrylic painting
By John Baker
Located in Natick, MA
John Baker’s “Best of Both Worlds II”, an acrylic painting on canvas with collage 25 x 22 x 1.5 inches (frame 4 inches wide), is a self-portrait in...
Category

2010s Contemporary Mixed Media

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic

You May Also Like

Portrait of Man, Surrealist Mixed Media Painting by Elisa Merino
Located in Long Island City, NY
Elisa Merino, Spanish - Portrait of Man, Medium: Acrylic and Mixed Media on Linen, signed lower right, Size: 22.75 x 19 in. (57.79 x 48.26 cm), Frame Size: 32.25 x 28.5 inches
Category

Mid-20th Century Surrealist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

'Konrad' - collage, abstract portrait, found paper, black and white, surrealism
Located in Atlanta, GA
This collage work on paper features black and white and hues of orange, pink, blue and red. It is framed in a simple white frame measuring 20.5 by 16 inches. Colombian-born, Atlanta...
Category

2010s Contemporary Mixed Media

Materials

Magazine Paper

Mihail (Chemiakin), Found Art Collage and Painting by Bokov
By Konstantin Bokov
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Konstantin Bokov, Ukrainian/American (1940 - ) Title: Mihail (Chemiakin) Year: 1985 Medium: Found Art Collage with Paint on Canvas, Signed and dated Size: 20 x 16 in. (50.8 x...
Category

1980s Contemporary Mixed Media

Materials

Canvas, Found Objects, Oil

"Shattered Mind" Mixed Media Abstract Expressionist Cubism Male Portrait
By Masri Hayssam
Located in Carmel, CA
"Shattered Mind" by Masri is a 30" x 24" canvas that exemplifies 'Shattered Cubism', a style that deconstructs and reimagines the traditional form. This portrait is a kaleidoscope of...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media

"Untitled, " Acrylic and Paper Collage on Canvas
Located in Houston, TX
This work was one of Long’s earliest compositions as an artist. Even earlier in his artistic career, Long was interested in exploring the intersection of various media, branching out into new innovative spaces. This work demonstrates the technique and forms at play that have since germinated into Long’s signature style. Bert L. Long Jr., was self-taught artist, was born in 1940 in Texas, grew up the Houston’s historic Fifth Ward and received his formal education from UCLA. Following a career as a successful master chef, Long decided to devote himself entirely to art in the late 1970’s. He began to explore folk art and assemblage to create a unique body of work, attracting the attention of Jim Harithas, then Director of the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, and artists John Alexander, Salvatore Scarpitta and James Surls. His life spanned an era of radical change in the American social climate, the influence of which can be seen clearly in his work. Long’s paintings and sculptures incorporate a high level of skill and sophisticated knowledge of art history, along with complex philosophical and social issues.  Long describes the philosophy behind his work as "a quest to help people diagnose their inner self," believing his art to be "the vehicle to help facilitate the process." “As artists we have the obligation to provide the world with art which communicates as truth. I believe that art has the power to heal our souls of their afflictions. I try to create art which helps to diagnose the prevalent conditions within our societies, hopefully providing an insightfulness which will help us all become brothers and sisters united in equality and compassion”                                       - Bert L. Long, Jr. The late Peter Marzio, former Director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, said of Bert Long during the major retrospective of Long’s work at the museum: “Bert Long does not avert his gaze from that which is painful, but as [his artworks] testify, he also brings a spirit of joy and redemption to his art. We can all learn from this great artist.” Over Long’s 33-year career as a painter, sculptor, and photographer, he had several solo exhibitions at respected museums and was awarded many significant awards including the National Endowment for the Arts Grant in 1987 and the prestigious international Prix de Rome fellowship in 1990. Other notable awards of Long’s include the Texas Accountants and Lawyers for the Arts Artist of the Year Award in 2009, the Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation Emergency Assistance Grant in 1997, the Houston Art League Texas Artist of the Year in 1990, the NEA Visual Artists Fellowship Grant, 1987 and the Bemis Foundation Residency in 1998. His work can be seen in over 100 private and public collections worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Houston Museum of Fine Art, the Blanton Museum of Art, Austin, the El Paso Museum of Art, and the Instituto de Bachillerato in Spain. With a recent solo exhibition at the Houston Museum of African American Culture and an exhibition overseas which is pending featuring his work, plus interest from several national museums, Bert L. Long Jr. continues to be recognized as an important African American artist throughout Texas, nationally and internationally. Bert L. Long, Jr. "Untitled" 1978 Acrylic and Paper Collage on Canvas...
Category

1970s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

"Untitled, " Acrylic and Paper Collage on Canvas
Located in Houston, TX
This work was one of Long’s earliest compositions as an artist. Even earlier in his artistic career, Long was interested in exploring the intersection of various media, branching out into new innovative spaces. This work demonstrates the technique and forms at play that have since germinated into Long’s signature style. Bert L. Long Jr., was self-taught artist, was born in 1940 in Texas, grew up the Houston’s historic Fifth Ward and received his formal education from UCLA. Following a career as a successful master chef, Long decided to devote himself entirely to art in the late 1970’s. He began to explore folk art and assemblage to create a unique body of work, attracting the attention of Jim Harithas, then Director of the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, and artists John Alexander, Salvatore Scarpitta and James Surls. His life spanned an era of radical change in the American social climate, the influence of which can be seen clearly in his work. Long’s paintings and sculptures incorporate a high level of skill and sophisticated knowledge of art history, along with complex philosophical and social issues.  Long describes the philosophy behind his work as "a quest to help people diagnose their inner self," believing his art to be "the vehicle to help facilitate the process." “As artists we have the obligation to provide the world with art which communicates as truth. I believe that art has the power to heal our souls of their afflictions. I try to create art which helps to diagnose the prevalent conditions within our societies, hopefully providing an insightfulness which will help us all become brothers and sisters united in equality and compassion”                                       - Bert L. Long, Jr. The late Peter Marzio, former Director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, said of Bert Long during the major retrospective of Long’s work at the museum: “Bert Long does not avert his gaze from that which is painful, but as [his artworks] testify, he also brings a spirit of joy and redemption to his art. We can all learn from this great artist.” Over Long’s 33-year career as a painter, sculptor, and photographer, he had several solo exhibitions at respected museums and was awarded many significant awards including the National Endowment for the Arts Grant in 1987 and the prestigious international Prix de Rome fellowship in 1990. Other notable awards of Long’s include the Texas Accountants and Lawyers for the Arts Artist of the Year Award in 2009, the Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation Emergency Assistance Grant in 1997, the Houston Art League Texas Artist of the Year in 1990, the NEA Visual Artists Fellowship Grant, 1987 and the Bemis Foundation Residency in 1998. His work can be seen in over 100 private and public collections worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Houston Museum of Fine Art, the Blanton Museum of Art, Austin, the El Paso Museum of Art, and the Instituto de Bachillerato in Spain. With a recent solo exhibition at the Houston Museum of African American Culture and an exhibition overseas which is pending featuring his work, plus interest from several national museums, Bert L. Long Jr. continues to be recognized as an important African American artist throughout Texas, nationally and internationally. Bert L. Long, Jr. "Untitled" 1977 Acrylic and Paper Collage on Canvas...
Category

1970s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic