The vision of Bob Thompson, a figurative painter working in the midst of Abstract Expressionism, began with inspiration from the Old Masters that he transformed into brightly-hued, energetic compositions. He was at the center of the multi-racial Beat scene, his life and career cut short by a tragic early death at the age of 28. Thompson left behind an impressive body of work in various media that tells the story of an enormously talented and innovative artist who “seemed in the 1960s to be trying to paint all the history of art into one whole.” (Michael Brenson, “Black Artists: A Place in the Sun,” The New York Times, March 12, 1989)

 

He drew from centuries of art history, borrowing subject matter and compositions from European masters, which he suffused with a colorful palette and lyricism reminiscent of the Fauves. Thompson spent two years in Paris in the early 1960s and returned to New York with a large body of figurative works reflecting his signature style: the complex interweaving of flattened forms of subjects both real and imagined.

  • Bob Thompson, Satyr and Maiden, 1965

    Bob Thompson

    Satyr and Maiden, 1965

    The subject of Satyr and Maiden references the recurring motif of Greek mythology, often symbolizing tension between untamed nature and civilization or lust and purity. As shown in the present work, satyrs are typically depicted as half goat, half man. They were known for their love of wine and women and represented untamed nature, while the maiden or nymph represents innocence, purity, and civilization.

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  • Bob Thompson, La Promenade, 1965

    Bob Thompson

    La Promenade, 1965

    The subject of La Promenade was likely influenced by the Impressionist paintings Thompson would have been exposed to during his sojourn in Paris--a widely known example of the present subject remains Pierre-Auguste Renoir's La Promenade (1870; Getty Center).

     

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  • “…I think painting should be the format or foundation…should be like theatre, a presentation of something, some activity…a depiction of...
    Bob Thompson, c. 1960

    “…I think painting should be the format or foundation…should be like theatre, a presentation of something, some activity…a depiction of something. Not only to expose the ability of the artist, but also for the viewer. To relate like the paintings of the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance.”

    As quoted in Jeanne Siegal, “Robert Thompson and the Old Masters,” Harvard Art Review, II (Winter 1967), p. 12; as quoted in Elsa Honig Fine, The Afro-American Artist: A Search for Identity, New York, 1982, p. 244

  • Bob Thompson, Untitled, c. 1963

    Bob Thompson

    Untitled, c. 1963
    Mixed media on paper
    2½ x 23 inches
    6.3 x 58.4 cm
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  • If you would enjoy learning more about the available works, please contact Alana Ricca at (212) 879-8815, or alana@schoelkopfgallery.com. We look forward to being in touch. 
    Artworks are © Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC, New York, NY