Lee Godie, for those who don’t know, was a self-taught American artist. Godie lived on the streets of Chicago from the 1960s until her death in 1994 aged 85. She was unique, homeless, but so much more. Often seen wearing various swatches of fabrics draped around herself, or fur coats that were pieced together. Including her unique fashion sense, she was a homeless by choice. She had money, was minted with money yet chose to live outside in below sub-zero temperatures.
On the steps of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1968, Godie appeared. Selling her canvases, paintings that resembled a similarity of Cezanne’s. Godie captured the face of the city, she became a milieu associated with the art scene for over 30 years.
Her art could be said to be an escapism, for both herself and the Chicago residents. Looking to something other than money. A means of creativity to express the way life was for her and others at the time. The child-like simplicity of a photobooth then painting over the very pictures of herself with colour. Illuminating the dull grey world around her with the colour she wanted to see. We can see from the images the eccentric nature of Godie. This brilliance, the strong-willed woman she was with a powerful mind for art and creativity.
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