The wild streaks, drips, splashes, and color really seem to speak for themselves here. Irish born Chloe Early is creating some gorgeous stuff. Compositions are playful but balanced. Scale is invoked liberally, keeping us from really settling into a cozy understanding of the pieces. I always wonder about the underlying process and structure that goes into work like this.
The Burial of the Count of Orgaz
El Greco or Doménikos Theotokópoulos (1541 – April 7, 1614) has always been a personal favorite, mainly because of his influential Mannerist stylings. Some notable characteristics are..
“(a) jarring “acid” color sense, elongated and tortured anatomy, irrational perspective and light of his crowded composition, and obscure and troubling iconography.”
These features gave El Greco a unique style that puzzled his contemporaries, yet stood the test of time.
Was there a better era for the female form than the 70′s? Curves were lovingly lavished onto book covers, comics, posters, and advertisements. Jeffrey Jones was one of the pioneers of this approach. For 3 years, Jones was given a full page in the National Lampoon to do with as he pleased. He usually filled the page with naked girls who would languish about for a few panels while musing about almost nothing, and yet Jones was able to execute it with a breathtaking grace and sensitivity.
Maybe it was this sensitivity that moved Frank Frazetta himself to call Jones “the greatest living painter”.
THE FEARS AHEAD BECOME THE WORRIES TO LEAVE BEHIND
Charming Baker‘s paintings are beautifully composed and bring forth a fantastic sense of both familiarity and unease. He uses oil on a variety of materials which provide an interesting, textural basis for his work and compliment his painting style and impeccable eye for editing.
Mother and Child II
After a sudden urge for mother/daughter subject matter, Mary Cassatt (1844-1926) automatically came to mind. Further research uncovered some gestural gems and a tragic story. Diabetes stole her vision and for 11 years she lived in almost total blindness, a story similar to her friend, Edgar Degas.
Blood Lust, Love and Gore
Los Angeles-based illustrator Hannah Stouffer is one of the most inspiring and prolific artists I have come across. Having had the opportunity to catch a show of hers at a gallery out west several years ago, I have been in awe of her work and productivity ever since. Take a bit of time to explore her site, she has a lot of gorgeous offerings in a variety of mediums, in her personal work as well as her commercial work.
Nude Descending Staircase
Alex Kanevsky is a painter/teacher from Lithuania and he now resides in the US. Little is found about him online and Alex wants to keep it that way, he prefers to let the paintings speak for themselves. The interviews (below) invite you in the mindset of the artist and reveal some insight for aspiring artists. All of his work is strong in my opinion, so checking out his site is highly recommended.
Classic
Wayne Martin Belger is a truly unorthodox photographer who photographs exclusively with fantastic pinhole cameras that he designed and built himself, which are all jaw-dropping in their design and execution. He uses a variety of found objects, relics and other unique materials, which includes bones, insects, vials of HIV infected blood and an actual heart, to create shrines and objects of beauty that capture images specific to a purpose the artist had in mind while planning their design. The combination of the photographs and the cameras they were taken with are fascinating, especially when you read the artist’s statement that goes along with each.
21st Century
An exceptionally talented illustrator/designer/photographer/artist/etc. (not to mention really nice guy), Brazilian artist Eduardo Recife has consistently created works that are solid in composition and style . He achieves a great balance between his commercial and personal works, which are a source of inspiration for artists of all types.
Sao Paulo native, Joao Ruas, has been slowly updating his blog with wonderful work since 2006. It seems someone noticed because he has now taken over James Jean’s spot as the cover artist for Fables.
I really like the way Joao shades his work. He seems to have a few different methods but they all have his style. Tight shading, with looser interpretations of form. Further »
