Faith and Function: The Art of Adrian Kellard

Abstract

Adrian Kellard (1959-1991) was a painter and woodcut artist who innovatively incorporated Christian religious images into his functional household pieces, and a young, talented artist in Manhattan in the 1980s. Through an exploration of Kellard's religious background and artistic influences, I aim to provide evidence for his stylistic and practical choices in creating these works. I explore how his innate connection to the Catholic faith influenced Kellard's decisions for the themes in his works, especially regarding reconciling traditional Christian beliefs with his own homosexuality. I also aim to illustrate how Kellard's body of work connects images portraying the loftiness of religion with the mundane of everyday objects. Kellard utilized the figural style found primarily in Byzantine iconography and the woodcut technique of German Expressionism and, against the backdrop of the turbulent times of the late 1980s, I aim to provide evidence for the link that Kellard created between the spiritual and physical.