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Untitled (BC-125)

William Henry Broome

Date

n.d.

Medium

20 oz cotton canvas

Dimensions

16 × 20 in.

Credit

© Broome Collection Inc. · © Broome Holding LLC — Property of the William Henry Broome Collection. This artwork forms part of a privately held archival collection. Unauthorized reproduction, publication, photography, digitization, AI training, licensing, or commercial use is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved by Broome Holding LLC and affiliated entities.

Curator’s reflection

Among the hundreds of works preserved within The Broome Collection, BC-125 is one of the most visually explosive. William Henry Broome abandons restraint in favor of raw emotional force, creating a portrait that feels less painted than released. The figure appears suspended between a scream, a cry for help, and an act of liberation, while the surrounding eruption of crimson, orange, yellow, and blue transforms the entire canvas into an extension of the artist's emotional state.

Unlike a traditional self-portrait, this work does not seek physical likeness alone. Every brushstroke amplifies sensation. Thick impasto radiates outward from the head, dissolving the boundary between the subject and the surrounding environment. The artist himself becomes the center of an emotional detonation, suggesting that inner experience cannot be contained by the human body.

Throughout The Broome Collection, Broome repeatedly returned to themes of vulnerability, isolation, and psychological endurance. Here those themes reach one of their most uncompromising expressions. Yet even in its intensity, the painting is not without hope. The open mouth may represent anguish, but it can also signify release the moment when silence finally gives way to expression. In that sense, the work reminds us that the act of creating art can itself become an act of survival.

Looking closer

Broome's impasto reaches extraordinary intensity in this painting, with thick layers of paint creating an almost sculptural surface. Warm reds, oranges, and yellows dominate the composition, while flashes of blue introduce visual tension that heightens the emotional energy. The upward perspective and exaggerated expression pull the viewer directly into the psychological experience rather than allowing emotional distance.
Every element works together to transform portraiture into pure emotional expression.

A moment to reflect

The loudest cries are sometimes spoken without a single word. He left more than paintings. He left a life painted in brushstrokes.