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Seth Alverson’s Pessimistic Depictions of the Human Body

Those who follow in the footsteps of the Old Masters would gasp at Seth Alverson's raw depictions of the human body. From the Renaissance's advancements in rendering the idealized anatomy to today's Photoshopped magazine covers, Western culture has an ongoing obsession with depicting the nude figure in ways that few of us can actually live up to. Alverson throws these conventions out the window with his oil paintings.

Those who follow in the footsteps of the Old Masters would gasp at Seth Alverson’s raw depictions of the human body. From the Renaissance’s advancements in rendering the idealized anatomy to today’s Photoshopped magazine covers, Western culture has an ongoing obsession with depicting the nude figure in ways that few of us can actually live up to. Alverson throws these conventions out the window with his oil paintings.

While some of the pieces seem intentionally grotesque, others bluntly depict parts of the body we are often told we should be ashamed of — cellulite on a plump bottom, sagging breasts, bellies that protrude. While those works seem to mock the media status quo, other pieces rightly warrant our aversion: one painting shows a stack of dismembered legs while another depicts a mangled hand. Alverson makes the body his communication tool, but his ultimate message is far from clear cut.

Topics

anatomy, grotesque, painting, Seth Alverson

Carl Beazley, painting

December 18, 2014

The people in Carl Beazley's portraits seem to be fighting internal battles to hold back their grimaces and make straight faces. His oil paintings feature young people wearing multiple expressions at once. Several small faces inhabit their full-sized heads, each one sending a conflicting signal. Some of Beazley's portraits look like a time lapse of a single gesture, while others are meant to confuse and amuse viewers with their incongruities.

Caleb Weintraub’s Dystopian Digital Artworks and Paintings

3D-rendering, Caleb Weintraub, digital art, painting

May 30, 2014

Caleb Weintraub confronts his audience with an alternative, morally-stripped and intense digital fantasy world where children hold guns on each other around misplaced, irresponsible adult figures. "I make paintings of a disintegrating world where humanity has gone awry," Weintraub said of his work in a previous interview. In a sense, he works in parallels to the present state of children's overstimulation and desensitization in a controlled atmosphere. The bright colors and video game-like renderings complicate the readings of his work, however. The viewer may find himself questioning the relationship between his techniques and conceptual leanings. Weintraub is choosing to create, at first glance, friendly cartoon narratives with dark content below the surface.

Brian Robertson Creates Quirky Characters From Abstract Shapes

Abstraction, Blackbook Gallery, Brian Robertson, painting

April 20, 2015

Minimal and quiet, Brian Robertson’s artworks seem to be both a homage to cubism and other various abstract art movements, and to our curious obsession with space and the universe. Going against typical physiognomy, the LA-based artist dissembles people and objects with clean acrylic shapes and lines juxtaposed with controlled dashes of spray paint. Looking closer, you’ll also notice that various portals appear in his work — a black hole doorway to a starry universe, a triangular cut-out through which a blue line travels — perhaps a commentary on the loneliness of the human condition and the vast wonder of the universe. On a more humorous level, Robertson names every one of his people or objects with tongue-in-cheek titles such as Mr Pot-Head Worm-Mouth or Mr Yellow-Brick Shit-House.

George Boojury’s Monumental Ink Paintings of Animals

George Boojury, ink, painting

November 11, 2014

New York-based artist George Boojury paints animals that often return the viewer's gaze. His large-scale ink works on paper (10 feet long is typical for one of his pieces) invite his audiences to confront majestic, wild creatures head-on. In setting up this interaction, the artist quietly prompts us to contemplate our relationship with the animal world. Boojury paints with great detail, mapping out every hair and wrinkle. Bob cats and buffalo pose nonchalantly against white backgrounds that evoke a photo studio. Though Boojury's imagery is stoic and straightforward, one can't help but be reminded of the perils wildlife faces as human activity further encroaches on its habitats.

Seth Alverson’s Pessimistic Depictions of the Human Body

Carl Beazley’s Surreal Portraits Have Fun with Facial Expressions

Caleb Weintraub’s Dystopian Digital Artworks and Paintings

Brian Robertson Creates Quirky Characters From Abstract Shapes

George Boojury’s Monumental Ink Paintings of Animals

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