Allen Ginsberg (with Peter Orlovsky)

Born New York City

Twentieth-century portrait painter Raphael Soyer continued to work in a realistic vein even as abstraction came to rule the art world. He was noted for his empathetic and sympathetic likenesses, especially of family and friends, such as the poet Allen Ginsberg. Soyer and Ginsberg were part of the post–World War II cultural scene in New York City, and they became friends after meeting in 1965. Ginsberg by then was famous as the author of “Howl”—the quintessential statement of postwar rebellion—and many subsequent works. Soyer signals Ginsberg’s poetic career by painting him holding a list that includes “Howl” and “Kaddish.” But Soyer really painted this dual portrait to commemorate the poet’s long relationship with Peter Orlovsky, with whom he lived and worked for nearly forty years.

Nacido en la ciudad de New York

Raphael Soyer, pintor retratista del siglo XX, continuó trabajando la vertiente realista incluso cuando la abstracción ocupó el trono en el mundo del arte. Soyer se distinguía por sus retratos afectuosos y simpáticos, sobre todo de familiares y amigos, como el poeta Allen Ginsberg. Ambos participaron en la escena cultural de posguerra en New York y entablaron amistad en 1965. Para entonces, Ginsberg ya era famoso por su poema “Howl”, paradigma del espíritu rebelde de la posguerra, y otros libros. En alusión a la carrera poética de Ginsberg, Soyer lo pinta sosteniendo una lista de títulos que incluye “Howl” y “Kaddish”. Pero el verdadero propósito de este retrato doble fue conmemorar la larga relación del poeta con Peter Orlovsky, su compañero de vida y trabajo durante casi cuarenta años.

Mary Soyer, daughter of artist, New York; gift 2009 to NPG