One of the most striking features of David Slone’s high-definition portraits is his treatment of his subjects’ skin. In each larger-than-life oil painting of an anonymous individual, Slone zeroes in on the way light hits the sitter’s face. He shows us how a peach tone can fracture into dozens of different, subtle hues. Slone makes pores and hairs visible in the way they are only when we press our face up to someone else’s. His works thrust his viewers into an intimate interaction with his subjects.
When we last featured Slone on the blog, his work predominantly consisted of surreal, floating heads. His most recent painting series more closely resembles traditional studio portraiture, though Slone ups the abstract elements and embellishes his subjects with colorful markings. The artist says the markings represent the bombardment of visual information the contemporary individual navigates on a daily basis. Indeed, they float like a perpetual, vague humming noise, creating a barrier between subject and viewer.
Ryan Bock's new immersive show at Ki Smith Gallery takes influence from the 1921 German horror film "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari," transforming bed frames and other "functional items made non-functional" in a dream-like environment. We’re given an exclusive first look at "Somnambulist," which opens on Oct. 26, in this post. Installation shots for the exhibition were taken by photographer Roman Dean.
Born in Canada and based in Manhattan, 
Working in the tradition of Italian Renaissance masters, the Milan-based artist 