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The Heads Have Figures
"Prizefighter" charcoal on paper
Contorted constructions, the figure is context for paint and aesthetics. Humanity shines through and with force, as arms and legs challenge the boundaries of the flat rectangle. These bodies compete with color and other elements of the painting for balance and tension. A pose has incredible power especially when it is an impossible pose.
The Prizefighter maintains a quiet strength and bridges the worlds of cartoon and traditional figuration. His hands and eyes are asymmetrically split into these two worlds. The art during the Roman emperor Constantine exemplifies this rift in representation. Classic Roman style had become decorative whereas the cartoon was direct and messaged the emperor's power to the public.
Hands up and Right Here are heads too big to fit the format and the body attached finds a way to contend. In Hands Up the space is so flattened, it leaves no room but forward for the figure to push out to. The body in Right Here is severly diminished but plausible.
"Right Here" 76 x 51cm acrylic on canvas 2018
"Hands Up" 220 x 80cm oil on panel 2006
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