Artist Robert Lange was taking portrait-style photos of attendees at San Francisco’s Pride celebration when he captured one that became the inspiration for a painted portrait.
“He is a radiant gay black man and I loved the idea of creating a painting where it is put upon the viewer to face their own feelings of acceptance or judgment,” Lange said.
The only problem? Lange didn’t know who to thank--he didn’t know the man in the photo.
Last week, Lange took to social media to find him. Within minutes the photo went viral, and Lange learned the man’s identity within hours--21-year-old aspiring model Dunbar Windsor.
According to Lange, one of his social media followers contacted a Bay Area bartender who in turn shared the photo with a club promoter. The club promoter shared it with a popular San Francisco drag queen who had met Windsor over Pride weekend and still had his contact information.
“I reached out, and he is the sweetest most appreciative young man,” Lange said. “There was a lot of fanfare coming his way the entire day and people recognized him in the painting from all across his social world.”
Windsor, a North Carolina man, just happened to be in San Francisco for the Pride weekend, but plans to drive to the Charleston, South Carolina, to attend the 15-year gallery anniversary exhibit where the painting will be unveiled.
