Great men is a series of works by Marlene Dumas as she wanted to respond against Russia’s very strict Anti-Gay legislations in the modern day world, this topic shines personal to Dumas as she realised that some of her favourite artist such as David Hockney and Oscar Wilde are indeed Gay men, Dumas wanted to show her appreciation for Gay men in Russia and around the world calling them ‘brave men’ as being gay can be terrifying even in modern times where in her own country of south Africa it is the only region of Africa to date where LGBT+ people have the same rights as heterosexuals. elsewhere in Africa it is illegal to be gay and gay men have no rights to love and live freely as a simple human right this is stripped from them by their government.
In the series Marlene depicts the faces of men with portraits painted of whom she takes inspiration from that are gay.
I love the meaning behind the works but I also love the style of the portraits using pen and ink to create heavy tone in these portraits which is something i commonly use in my work.