After graduating from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1961, Karl Wirsum, a pioneer of the Hairy Who, a small group that exhibited together in the mid-to late 1960s, quickly went on to develop his signature style, which combines a graphic sensibility—vivid, flat colors; bold outlines; and simplified, cartoonlike figures—with a quirky sense of humor. Inspired largely by comic book figures and popular icons, Wirsum’s high-energy paintings typically feature a central, remarkably stylized figure. This painting portrays Screaming Jay Hawkins, one of the most eccentric performers in the history of rock and roll. Anticipating the later theatrics of Alice Cooper and David Bowie, Hawkins fashioned himself as the High Priest of Voodoo Rock with his elaborate costumes and macabre performances. The frenetic lines, electric colors, and exaggerated features in this painting demonstrate Wirsum’s long-held interest in activating the abstract underpinnings of his figurative work.
