Response By
James S. Reaney
John Boyle Seated Nude, 1966
oil on wood Gift of the Volunteer Committee, 1991Response
When it comes to the best dick pic in #ldnont art history, don’t be.
That pic is John Boyle’s 1966 Seated Nude (oil on wood).
Yes: Some oil found artist’s wood. Two US icons look on.
Beyond pale: The white-on-chair-and-base is ghostly — outlines of back, buttocks, nethers, feet etc left by departed artist/model’s sitting.
Seated in history: Rejected as “unsuitable for a public gallery” by Museum London forerunner, igniting glorious revolt by London artists.
Its truth: Raw beauty.
James Stewart Reaney is a journalist, and retired music columnist for the London Free Press, where he worked for more than 3 decades. A committed advocate for culture in London, he sits on the Forest City London Music Awards steering committee and champions the London Music Hall Of Fame. James is the son of Canadian writers James Reaney (1926-2008) and Colleen Thibaudeau (1925-2012).