Animals have long been used as stand-ins for human morality in fables and fairy-tales, but Massachusetts-based Josie Morway brings them into contemporary consciousness with her beautiful, cryptic portraits. Each painted creature carries an air of agelessness and wisdom, their bodies framed by geometric formations and Latin scripts (one such as phrase states “Faciam ut mei […]
Category: Painting
Sensitivity as Strength in Dreamy Paintings by Alexandra Levasseur
Dreaming women endure the elements of nature and life in the otherworldly paintings of Montreal-based artist Alexandra Levasseur. By abstracting rose gardens and Canada’s boreal forests in thick, pastel-hued layers of paint, Levasseur translates her landscapes into a vision of feminine solitude and introspection. There is a sense of surrender and strength as they melt […]
Dreaming Dancers: Beautiful Illustrations by Lu Cong
Note: Contains nudity. Lu Cong is an influential American artist who immigrated to the United States when he was 11. In addition to dreamy, pastel-hued oil paintings that express the subject’s underlying emotions, he also creates beautiful minimalistic illustrations in ink, graphite, and watercolor. The figures climb and dance across the page, some with animals […]
The Lost and the Strange: Paintings by Pamela Wilson
Pamela Wilson is a California-based artist who paints offbeat characters in surreal worlds. Among her colorful cast are dark-eyed children collecting specimens in the woods, distraught entertainers collapsed in quiet backrooms, and madcaps posing nonchalantly while the horizon burns. Each figure has an air of innocence and agelessness, and each is involved in a mysterious […]
Tattoos for Nature Lovers by Pis Saro
“The mood of my art changes with the seasons,” Crimean tattooer Pis Saro describes to me. “I grow flowers and watch them attentively, looking at each fractal detail in petals and leaves. They’re not as simple as they seem! I like to study plants, animals and birds of different countries, too, always searching for new […]
Chilean Street Art Around the World: Colossal Murals by INTI
INTI is a street artist from Valparaiso, Chile, who paints large-scale murals on buildings around the world. From France to Delhi to Santiago, INTI brings his South American roots to life in colorful portraits that represent the overlapping histories of Chilean arts and culture, the Incas, capitalism, and Christianity. Embodying these complex systems of tradition […]
Death and Fantasy: Paintings by Takato Yamamoto
Note: Contains nudity. Takato Yamamoto paints gothic scenes that resemble erotic nightmares. He calls his work “Heisei Estheticism,” drawing on the tradition of Japanese woodblock prints and infusing them with images (often violent and sexualized) inspired by modern manga. Recurring motifs include sullen-faced women bound in ropes, rotting corpses festooned with vines, and bloodied vampires […]
Adrian Cox Mutates and Reassembles the Body In Nature
Adrian Cox is a Missouri-based artist who paints “Border Creatures”—organic mutants who defy what we staunchly distinguish as “man” and “nature.” Sometimes they appear humanoid—humorously engaging in intellectual activities, such as painting and stargazing—but their bodies are engulfed with organic debris and sprouting plant life, signifying the messy processes of death and rebirth. In other […]
Desire and Debris: Hyperrealistic Oil Paintings by Till Rabus
Note: Contains nudity. Till Rabus is a Swiss artist who paints hyperrealistic mash-ups of sex, food, mythology, and absurdity. Recalling the tradition of Dutch vanitas, Rabus’ still lifes contain an ominous hodge-podge of items; sex toys sit with false dignity beside garbage and raw meat, awaiting the flies. This surrealism carries over into his scenic […]
Update: Thomas Cian’s Graphite and Watercolor Portraits
The young dreadlock-haired Thomas Cian continues to impress fans with his latest works of art. Many admirers have taken guesses about his technique—i.e. if the graphite was placed first or the wash. The best answer is shown visually at Behance; pencil and water-soluble graphite are used to produce monochromatic portraits of friends and family—see one […]