The Power of His Brush

Who is Rudolph Carl Gorman?” A passing glimpse into his life reveals an interesting person who lived an unconventional life. But the profound answer for this idiosyncratic character is intriguingly complex.“Which Gorman we are referring to?” A child born into poverty. A young man trying to survive in a prejudiced society. A struggling artist who, against insurmountable odds, separated himself from the pack. A creator of one-of-a-kind art to inspire generations of artists. A benevolent visionary or the one who, at the end, sank into wealth and alcohol. Enduring thousands of hours of research about a person that I have never met, I came to believe that he carefully cultivated his bigger-than-life persona. While it is a true expression that he enjoyed the journey of his success by celebrating life to the fullest, it reveals only one side of the man; a fraction of what he feels and thinks. Perhaps the good times were a reward for dealing with the challenging times; the extent of joyfulness responsible for the beauty of his work and its vast popularity.“Who is R. C. Gorman?” He is a Native American who wanted to live the American Dream. The poor kid from the reservation who wanted a better life, to supersede the temporary darkness with the bright lights. He succeeded, in fact, he did it in a white man’s world. He did it with unwavering determination, consistent vision and of course, his immense talent. Nevertheless, as a newborn child, he wasn’t expected to leave the hospital alive. The world would not know about R. C. Gorman if wasn’t for the unusual nourishment of his great grandmother that kept him alive.