David Wojnarowicz, Hujar Dreaming, 1982

Narrator: The reclining figure in this painting is the photographer Peter Hujar. Wojnarowicz took a picture of him lying on the floor, and turned it into a stencil that he used over and over again in his paintings.

Marvin Taylor: David met Peter I believe in 1981 at a gay bar on Second Avenue. And he was influenced by the work.

Narrator: Marvin Taylor is Head of Special Collections and Fales Library at New York University, which houses the David Wojnarowicz papers.  

Marvin Taylor: Their relationship, their sexual relationship didn't last very long actually, but Peter became David's mentor, and encouraged David to really work on visual work as opposed to writing. And gave him the courage to do that.

Narrator: Wojnarowicz’s image is a kind of tribute to Hujar, who often took pictures of people in repose. One of those photographs, picturing Wojnarowicz himself, hangs in this room. Frequently, Wojnarowicz would make audio recordings as a form of journal. One of them includes a conversation with Hujar. Even in a brief excerpt, you can hear how much he respected the older artist’s work. To hear them talk about photography, please tap to continue.