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Gaetana Menna, known as Thomas, 1912 – 1997, was born and died in Brooklyn.Menna was hospitalized in state institutions for many years. He worked in two distinctive styles, primitives and copies. Without something to copy, Thomas created his primitives. If art magazines were available, he selected paintingsof Old Masters to copy. In both styles, he moved comfortably between water-color and colored pencils. His primitive style shows a fully dressed figure, transparent over a naked form, with articulated skeletal joints. The flying shoelaces are also typical, as is a face in a tree and stylized branches. In drawing his copies, Menna began at one side of the page and methodically worked across, always managing to fit the entire work onto the page.
In his Copy of The Marriage of Giovanni Arnolfini and Giovanna by Van Eyck Menna maintained his style of including aspects of the nude form under the groom’s coat. He signed his name across the coat as well. In the lower left, the original painting included a pair of sandals. Menna transformed them into a pair of angels.
Menna was a very quiet man, but clear about his wishes. He loved food, and ate voraciously while maintaining a lean physique. In a quiet modest gravel filled voice, he often shared his view of himself as a good artist.
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