Menu
The New Contemporary Art Magazine

Brin Levinson Brings ‘Anthropocene’ to Portland’s Antler Gallery

Brin Levinson’s paintings depict worlds in which humans have lived, but now animals seem to rule. These ghost towns, with similar landmarks and industrial vibes to the city the Portland resident calls home, imply that mankind’s abuse of the land and its creatures resulted in its exit. These works appear in a new show from Levinson, titled “Anthropocene,” which now hits Antler Gallery in Portland. The show lasts through Nov. 22. Levinson was most recently featured on HiFructose.com here.

Brin Levinson’s paintings depict worlds in which humans have lived, but now animals seem to rule. These ghost towns, with similar landmarks and industrial vibes to the city the Portland resident calls home, imply that mankind’s abuse of the land and its creatures resulted in its exit. These works appear in a new show from Levinson, titled “Anthropocene,” which now hits Antler Gallery in Portland. The show lasts through Nov. 22. Levinson was most recently featured on HiFructose.com here.

The artist says he begins the process of creating a new work with photos, using either found ones or snaps he’s captured. Levinson says the oil painting typically takes shape organically, with the animals coming into play later, after the backdrop and perspective is established. He says he doesn’t often sketch the ideas first, as the finished product rarely resembles what was envisioned.


Some of the paintings feel born out of sobering reality, while others inject surrealism into the mix with sea animals that float openly through the cityscapes or creatures posed together in stoic cooperation. Even with drab skies and rundown and eroded urban environments, there’s a serene quality to several of the scenes.



Meta
Share
Facebook
Reddit
Pinterest
Email
Related Articles
The wild public works of muralist Sebastian Coolidge transport passers-by to a cartoonish world that has notes of both classic animation and Lowbrow art. The Florida-based artist has recently painted walls in Kansas City, his native state, Reno, and beyond. As seen below, a recent project at a festival also showed a knack for crafting interactive works.
Gregory Thielker creates paintings which combine realism and aspects of abstraction by obscuring the views of his surroundings. After studying Art History at Williams College in Massachusetts and getting his MFA in Painting at Washington University in St. Louis, he embarked on cross-country road trips and working outdoors. This is when he began his series "Under the unminding sky", which captures his trip's sights through the perspective of a rainy car windshield. Intrigued by the way rain accented and veiled the scenery in front of him, it became the model for his paintings, transforming the driver's environments in a realistic way.
Li Songsong, known for using thick layers of paint to craft scenes that appear similar to fragmented memories, brings his historical look at China to Pace Gallery with the show "One of My Ancestors." The show, running through Dec. 21, is the first solo effort from the artist in the U.S. since 2011. Much of the imagery comes from archival and public sources, the gallery says.
Maja Ruznic’s ghostly oil paintings dwell on memory and ritual. These scenes, at various scales, contain figures wrestling and enacting cerebral themes, each’s softly conveyed narratives seemingly belonging to us all. Her most recent series softens the hues she's used in previous work for more earthly tones.

Subscribe to the Hi-Fructose Mailing List