(b. 1951 - Belfast, Ireland) is a painter, sculptor and photographer who is fascinated with the way in which contemporary culture relates to earlier history. He used automobile spray painting, etching and traditional oil painting to create several portraits of contemporary Roman citizens. Having spent time in Rome on a fellowship, Kindness was fascinated by the layers of history that permeate the city and couldn't help looking at the people of Rome with an anthropologist's eye. He states, "When I look at the art of the past I can't stop myself from making links between contemporary and historical images. When I make my own art I bring the two together, 'stretching' both until they merge or hybridize." Kindness was most influenced by portraits by such 14th century Italian masters as Piero della Francesca, who frequently painted their sitters in profile. The profile format leaves more distance between artist and sitter and is primarily employed for medical or legal portraits today. The artist earned his Diploma of Fine Arts from the Belfast College of Art in 1974. He was awarded the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant in 2003 and has exhibited his work throughout Europe and United States since 1985. He currently lives and works in London. 2003.310