Johannes Michalski ( – November 4, 2019) was a Belgian-born American

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...

. A double amputee, he painted by holding the brush with his mouth.

Early life

Born on 10 December 1936 in Vucht,

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

to Anton Michalski and Cecelia Walchzak. He was the youngest of three siblings, raised by a single mother after losing his father to suicide at the age of two. Johannes spent many of his childhood years in orphanages suffering lots of physical and emotional abuse because of his mother's struggle to find work and an environment safe for him and his siblings which resulted from war that happened in Europe as at the time. He lost both of his arms at the age of ten in an electrocution accident when he grabbed a power line with his hands by mistake and fell from the electrical pole. He struggled to survive the incident and spent many years after to relearn using his mouth and feet the most basic tasks of daily living.

Career

At the age of 19, Johannes was discovered by the Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists and awarded him a scholarship to attend Académie royale des Beaux-Arts de Bruxelles where he graduated with distinctions.

Personal life

Johannes was a father to his only son Jean-Marie Michalski whom he raised as a single dad from the age of 15 months. In 1982 he and Jean-Marie immigrated to the United States where he eventually settled in

St. George, Utah St. George is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Utah, United States. Located in southwestern Utah on the Arizona border, it is the principal city of the St. George Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The city lies in the no ...

. He died at the age of 84, survived by his son, Jean-Marie and two grandchildren Kaylie and Macie Michalski.

Works

References

1930s births 2019 deaths Belgian emigrants to the United States People from St. George, Utah Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts alumni Mouth and foot painting artists Belgian amputees American amputees Painters from Utah 20th-century Belgian painters 20th-century American painters 21st-century American painters 21st-century American male artists 20th-century American male artists American artists with disabilities {{US-painter-1930s-stub