Clyde Broadway ([1944]—) is a fine artist known for narratives celebrating [Southern culture|the American South] and its "[American Mythology|myths], [Reality Is What You Can Get Away With|realities], and [The American Dream|dreams]".

Broadway earned his MFA from [Georgia State University] in [1980]. Prior to that, he earned a BFA at [Auburn]. He grew up in [Alabama] and has spent much of his career living in [Atlanta]. Broadway began making art as a child, inspired by the works of [Milton Caniff], [The Phantom|Lee Falk] and [Harold Gray]. Since then he has come to draw inspiration from sources high and low: advertising, poetry, folk music, current events, as well as other artists.

Broadway cites visual artists such as [Howard Finster], [Picasso], [Paul Klee], [Red Grooms], [Robert Colescott], [Romare Bearden], [Jasper Johns] and the [Book of Kells] as influences. He claims to have met [The dream people were being assholes.|Picasso in a dream] once.

Broadway's subject matter and general narrative intent align him to "[outsider art|outsider artists]" like Howard Finster and Theora Hamblett but his formal art education excludes him from their ranks. In an interview I found, Broadway mentioned being more influenced by the early [abstract expressionism|abstract expressionists] of New York whlie in college but changed his approach after a friend introduced him to Finster.

In [1994] he completed his best known work, [Trinity|Trinity]. This painting is a heavenly pairing of [Jesus Christ] with [Robert E. Lee] and a young [Elvis Presley]. The overall image is very tasteful and done in a style reminiscent of [icon [by rahmat]|religous iconography] (each figure has a [halo]). [Jesus was a black man|Jesus is shown as a white man in his glorified body]; Robert E. Lee has kindly removed his hat and Elvis has his guitar. Broadway got the idea for Trinity while working on a cycle entitled “Worries of the Western World,” which was about [The King, multidimensional|Elvis and UFOs].

[Three Wise Men|Trinity] is part of the permanent collection of the [Ogden Museum of Art] at the [UNO|University of New Orleans]. In an interview, Broadway says that he's never had anyone complain about this painting as there's not "really [We Worship Elvis|anything to be offended about]; Elvis Presley and Robert E. Lee both loved Jesus, and the [Jesus loves you|Bible indicates that the feeling was mutual]."

Trinity has been reproduced countless times in books and is available for sale as a print. A few of Broadway's other works are available via the links below; the former contains more.

Sources: artist [http://www.factorprize.org/ViewArtist.asp?pid=6&id=280|statement] and [http://www.oxfordamerican.org/articles/2012/mar/06/southern-artist-interview-clyde-broadway/|interview]

(Unfortunately Clyde Broadway does not have a website of his own, but if you look hard enough you can find him anyway.)

Clyde Broadway (person)