Object Record
Images
Metadata
Artist |
Donovan, Simon |
Title |
Liminal Man |
Date |
1988 |
Medium |
oil on wood |
Culture |
American |
School |
Tucson Artist |
Object ID |
1997.228 |
Collection |
Contemporary Art (1970-present) |
Object Name |
Painting |
Credit line |
Gift of David Longwell |
Didactic Information |
Simon Donovan painted Liminal Man soon after arriving in Tucson from Boston in 1986. Searching for relevant subject matter in a newly rented studio off 4th Avenue in downtown Tucson, he started painting vertical and horizontal lines on wood as if weaving a canvas on which to paint. To Donovan, the painstaking, repetitive process was meditative-a mantra of sorts-until the image occurred. As Donovan explains, "When we fled Boston in 1986, I left behind friends and ex-lovers dying of AIDS. The AIDS crisis was at full fury; testing for HIV was just beginning, but people were wary of the implications of taking it. I was paranoid and obsessed, frozen with fear with every sneeze, cough or blemish. I assumed my days were numbered and struggled to reconcile my lack of faith in the face of the inevitable. I went to San Xavier Mission and found it beautiful and inspiring. The statue of St. Francis Xavier lying in state to the left of the altar fascinated me. People would line up to pray, cross themselves and lift its head up from its pillow. Upon inquiry I was told only people of true faith and on good terms with St. Francis would be able to lift it." The liminal man in the composition is a self-portrait. It represents Donovan in transition-new to Tucson, yet unsettled in every way, uncertain of his status, his future, and his fate. In this composition, the artist is on the River Styx, lying in state like St. Francis, but possibly heading to Hades. Donovan tested negative for HIV soon after this painting was completed. |