Known to many as being a world-renowned music coach and singer, Dante Pavone was one of the great loves of Beauford’s life. The two met at Village Vanguard, and soon spent days on end together listening to opera music, napping, and discussing art and their homosexuality. The two loved each other deeply, yet Beauford was in love with Dante – a feeling not reciprocated on Dante’s part. As a result, a side of jealousy and pouting arose in Beauford, one not many witnessed. He would insult Dante when angry with him and drive wedges through relationships he had with other men.

Despite the stormy nature of their relationship, Dante was Beauford’s favorite subject to draw and paint. This portrait of him depicted as Christ, with Dante’s right hand risen in blessing and a fuzzy halo of light around his head, represents how much Beauford loved his friend: he saw him at times as a religious figure. Religious iconography and subject matter were close to nonexistent in Beauford’s portfolio, a fact that emphasizes the importance and meaning of this portrait and their relationship.