Medium: A4 paper, pencil H, B
This is a redraw of English artist Robert Lenkiewicz (31 December 1941 – 5 August 2002). He was one of South West England’s most celebrated modern artists.
He created up to 10,000 works. His themed ‘projects’ investigated hidden communities or difficult social issues such as Suicide and Death.
In 1981, he staged his own death, announcing his demise in local newspapers.
Lenkiewicz was born in London in 1941. His parents fled Nazi Germany in 1939 and arrived in London as penniless refugees.
Unaffected by contemporary art trends, he preferred the paintings in the National Gallery. Inspired by figures like Albert Schweitzer, a polymath, and Danilo Dolci, an Italian social activist known as the "Gandhi of Sicily."
He painted vagrant and street alcoholic individuals.
Art critic David Lee noted: "Robert's greatest gift was to show us that an artist could be truly concerned about social and domestic issues and try to express this through figurative painting."
His projects focused on mental handicap (1976), Old Age (1979), and Death (1982), shedding light on marginalized communities.
He also explored societal taboos in projects like Jealousy (1977), Orgasm (1978), Suicide (1980), and Sexual behavior (1983).
The sketch I redrew was of John Kynance a few minutes before death from cancer in 1973. Inscribed: “vagrant character of rare qualities. Completely out of tune with his thuggish companions.”
My thoughts on the redraw? The person doesn't look like they are dying, just poor. But at least I made an attempt.
Celine Dion - Fly (Live in Vancouver - 1996)
Sources:
https://flashbak.com/the-peculiar-tale-of-robert-lenkiewicz-and-diogenes-the-tramp-who-became-the-ultimate-memento-mori-367733/
https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=ALeKk036Ryq2Ohg8CTzGRcQcICICHJPHmg:1584775604995&q=pencil+sketches+of+dying+people&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi-0e-XhavoAhUb6OAKHSo1AIYQsAR6BAgJEAE&biw=1366&bih=625#imgrc=9V-g41gE4k_u9M
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Lenkiewicz
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Schweitzer
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danilo_Dolci
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