Henry Taylor Paintings
Henry taylor was born the youngest of eight brothers and sisters in ventura california to a father who was employed by the u s.

Henry taylor paintings. Another hamsa smart walker 2016 depicts the los angeles based curator. 1958 ventura ca continues to delve and expand upon the language of portraiture and painting while also pointing to the social and political issues affecting african americans today. Henry taylor is a contemporary african american painter whose enigmatic works include portraits of psychiatric patients historical figures and friends. Taylor worked for a decade as a psychiatric nurse in a state hospital in california an experience that informs the humanity and warmth evident in his paintings.
With characters borrowed from history media and personal life henry taylor s potent paintings are careful interrogations of life particularly of african american life addressing the themes of class homelessness politics and racial and economic disparity in the united states. A 2014 portrait is titled simone leigh s daughter zenobia. I paint everyone or i try to the artist has explained. These also feature works from other critically acclaimed artists such as won sou yeol sarah derat and tora aghabayova.
Having quickly risen to prominence over the past decade as one of the finest painters of his generation los angeles based painter henry taylor is headed to one of the world s four largest. Taylor has captured noah davis mickalene thomas and deana lawson. Henry taylor s promiscuous painting the california artist s subjects are drawn from wildly divergent walks of life the famous and the down and out the sane and the mad the rich and the poor. Historical context of united states.
He painted oscar murillo s family and made a portrait of robert pruitt while visiting autumn knight 2015. Henry taylor paints quick loose portraits of his relatives friends celebrities and athletes on large and small canvases as well as creating evocative sculptures and assemblages of found materials. Raised in oxnard california henry took art classes at oxnard college under james jarvaise who became an ongoing mentor. From racial inequality homelessness and poverty to the importance of family and community taylor says my paintings are what i see around me they are my landscape paintings.
Government as a commercial painter and is listed as a painter on henry s birth certificate. Oakland california 2008 acrylic on canvas 229 x 170 cm.



























