James Baldwin 1963

Beauford Delaney made this painting of James Baldwin with oil on canvas, and it’s a wild, almost scary, yellow. The painting feels alive because you can see so much of the making. The paint is thick, and the brushstrokes are visible, giving it a real sense of energy and immediacy. I keep coming back to the eyes. They're wide and a little crazed, ringed with this intense blue. It’s like Delaney has captured something essential about Baldwin, his intensity, his vulnerability, and his unwavering gaze. Thinking about other artists who wrestled with similar questions of identity and representation, I’m reminded of Alice Neel. Like Neel, Delaney isn't just painting a likeness; he's capturing something deeper, a psychological portrait that invites us to see the world through Baldwin’s eyes. It reminds us that art is an ongoing conversation, a way of grappling with the complexities of being human.