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John Baker
"Masks of a Novelist: An Imaginary Portrait of Tom Wolfe", acrylic, painting

2017

$3,100
£2,330.95
€2,706.80
CA$4,329.08
A$4,801.28
CHF 2,521.39
MX$58,963.08
NOK 31,918.46
SEK 30,099.54
DKK 20,195.69
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About the Item

John Baker’s “Masks of a Novelist: An Imaginary Portrait of Tom Wolfe”, a 42 x 32 x 1.5 inch acrylic painting with collage on canvas, is not so much a depiction of Tom Wolfe’s appearance as it is of his creative imagination represented through his many masks and selves. The delicate and tangy pastel colors: pinks, turquoise, off whites and light greens, lighten the bizarre masquerade in the direction of farce. The peculiar fish or amphibian, morphing inexplicably from the top of the long and colorful shawl worn by the author, adds to the nonsensical playfulness of Wolfe’s assumed identities epitomized by the mask of his own face in the stack of masks in the lower left corner of the canvas. The sides are unpainted and the painting is signed and dated on the reverse. 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:
    2017
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 42 in (106.68 cm)Width: 32 in (81.28 cm)Depth: 1.5 in (3.81 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Natick, MA
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: Baker_Masks of a Novelist: An Imaginary Portrait of Tom Wolfe1stDibs: LU50033346533

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