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Born Daphne, Scholinski grew up near
Chicago. A tomboyish young girl, she suffered intense bullying
for not being girly enough. She became a troubled teen whose
behavioral problems doctors attributed to a diagnosed "gender
identity disorder." At age 15, she was committed to a
psychiatric hospital, where she stayed for three years
Her treatment was designed to make her identify as a "sexual
female." It included make-up lessons, mandatory dress
requirements and coaching in the art of flirtation. A 1997 book
recounting the experience, "The Last Time I Wore a Dress: A
Memoir" (Penguin/Putnam), received national attention.
Unsurprisingly, the artist's confinement - and the questionable
and spectacularly unsuccessful course of treatment - forms the
organizing theme of Dylan's work. Each painting is like a
personal journal entry commenting on a facet of the artist's
tortured childhood and subsequent steps at resolving the
identity issues that had caused so much pain.
What is surprising about these raw, edgy works is their wit and
elegance. Humor has been the artist's path from darkness. It
forms a path for us, as well, providing a safe route for us to
enter into a world that we would otherwise find too disquieting.
The artist's wit assures us that these are not the rantings of a
mental patient. They are lucid, self-aware statements of an
artist who sees his history with a surprising level of clarity,
acceptance and forgiveness.
Painted in the grays, blacks and foggy colors of a nightmare,
the paintings are nonetheless aesthetically pleasing. They are
technically strong and exquisitely balanced. Each work commands
attention, compelling us to focus closely - to dig through layers
of history and subtle (sometimes not so subtle) allusions so
that we might reach an understanding of the artist's past and
his triumphant arrival at the present. They invite us to feel
our own emotions and to connect with the artist's. They seek
unity through empathy.
Dylan explains, "I paint for my survival and myself … without my
art, I would likely be dead. My purpose is to encourage the
sympathetic indulgence of emotions. If you can reach these
emotions in yourself, you may identify them in others, and we
will all have better understanding, compassion, and tolerance of
each other."
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| Patient |
Mixed Media on Paper |
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| Untitled (Thorazine
1)(1994) |
12.75 x 12.75
Oil on Canvas |
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Untitled (Thorazine
2)
(1994) |
19 x 19
Oil on Canvas |
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| Fly American't (2003) |
19 x 19
Mixed Media on Board |
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