William Burroughs

William Burroughs by George H. Rothacker - acrylic on canvas -  24" x 24" - Original painting $2400, prints @$90 each plus tax and shipping (Prints are an edition of 50, signed, titled and numbered with an image area of 13"x 13").
I never read either of William Burroughs major novels, Junky or Naked Lunch. I never even had much interest in the novels of Jack Kerouac, the poetry of Allen Ginsburg, or the music of the "beat" or "punk" generations.

Burroughs also shot and killed his wife when stoned and portraying William Tell. Not exactly a poster child!

So why did I paint Burroughs?

My home art studio was a mess...a disaster....a death trap.....and a friend of my daughter suggested a trade deal: he'd clean out and organize my space if I would paint his idol... William Burroughs.

My first reaction was, "No!" But the young man is a good organizer and convinced me that he would help extend my life and that I would be pleased with his work.

The most appealing aspect of the assignment was that the client wasn't concerned with the size of the finished work, or even with the style. That was left to me.

Since my latest fascination is boldly colored portraits in a square format, I decided that I would accept the commission, and before I even conceived of the portrait, he had transformed my studio into a livable and workable space.

Since I had the ultimate freedom of expression, I took the artistry of the Burroughs' portrait further  than with any previous painting. Most remarkably, it set me on my current mission to paint 20th century American writers.

With regard to Burroughs, he was a voice of two generations, so he is included herein.

Next Writer