1977
Signed and dated in pencil, l.r.
Colored pencil on paper
12 x 8 inches (30.5 x 20.3 cm)
Sold.
A preliminary version of what would eventually be the cover artwork for Gay Source: A Catalogue for Men (1977).
Compiled, written, and edited by Dennis Sanders, with feature articles by twenty-eight writers, Gay Source is a series of articles on aspects of modern living for gay men from writers such as Felice Picano (who also utilized Stavrinos’s work for his book covers The Deformity Lover and Late in the Season).
This freshly created cover illustration was unusual for the artist at the time, as his work was generally focused on elaborate scenery and detail. His faces, although stylized, were grounded in realism, based most often on Polaroids of the subjects. This portrait seems to be the first precursor to the stronger architectural line that came to define many of Stavrinos’s illustrations circa 1982 and onwards.
[Thanks to Richard Kilroy for his research and insight. This entry is taken from his informative Instagram account @georgestavrinos.]
Work by George Stavrinos (1948-1990)