Figurative Paintings on Canvas: Freeman W. Butts

Freeman approached figurative nudes unapologetically.  These paintings are about the paintings themselves.  Fluidity of line, bold application of paint, these are compositions that transcend the issues of nudity and sexualism e face today.  In the 1980s and 1990s there was still stigma attached to the concept of a nude artwork.  Freeman's large paintings were titled to protect the identities of his models.  When you see a painting titled something like Two, 14 - 88, it's indicating that there are two figures in the composition and it's the 14th painting with two figures he made in 1988.  When he's refered to as a "painter's painter" it means he's purely focused on the painting, not even the title, or the interpretation.  He's driving a motorcycle into the wind without a wind shield.