✞ 𝖗𝖔𝖙𝖙𝖊𝖓 𝖎𝖓𝖘𝖎𝖉𝖊 ✞

Chris, Joseph Sinness, 2017, Minneapolis Institute of Art: Contemporary Art

man wearing black leather mask, black leather strap across upper torso, and black underwear standing in front of non-descript space; bright blue in upper right quadrant and upper left quadrant with gradated white and pink background Sexual desire and cinematic performance are filtered through the genre of portraiture in Joe Sinness’ photorealistic drawing, Chris, 2017. Sinness accomplishes this blending through the juxtaposition of the macho male figure against the soft, tender setting inspired by Edwin B. Willis’ set designs for Judy Garland’s MGM musicals. Sinness’ drawing questions our perceptions of sexual desire and performance. The subject, Chris, looks directly at us with an unflinching stare; his posture evokes a sense of empowerment while the soft, pastel clouds in the background visualize a utopic queer space. Despite his leather bondage attire, Sinness deftly portrays his subject as tender and worthy of desire. Size: 32 ½ × 23 7/16 × 1 5/8 in. (82.55 × 59.53 × 4.13 cm) (outer frame) Medium: Colored pencil on paper