The Artist and his Mother by Arshile Gorky

This portrait of Arshile Gorky and his mother is based on a photograph taken in his native Armenia in 1912, when the artist was just a child.

The photograph become the touchstone for The Artist and His Mother, which would preoccupy Gorky on and off from 1926 until about 1942. Both an exploration of modern painting and an emotional evocation of personal and national tragedy, it is one of the most powerful portraits of the 20th century.

Gorky is said to have begun this double portrait in 1926, and he continued work on the final version until at least 1935. The motif was provided by a photograph of himself and his mother posing in front of a painted backdrop, taken in 1912 when Arshile was eight years old, to send to his father in the United States.
The Artist and his Mother by Arshile Gorky